The Real Story Behind Making Money Online With Affiliate Marketing
Somewhere, clever marketers, strategists and designers are assessing marketplace demand, looking at offerings, and creating a range of products for other people to sell.
They specifically put together packages of material – landing pages, videos, banners, images, graphics – intended for promotion and sharing among a community that has no connection, no network and no bond except the product itself.
That is affiliate marketing. A stand-alone multi-billion dollar industry covering every product category imaginable, and providing opportunity for those who have no talent or inclination for upfront creativity or complex investment.
The affiliate marketing opportunity is an open door to online business for the range of entrepreneurs who have yet to define their own unique product, but are prepared to deliver their singular perspective to others.
While starting an online business is an extraordinary opportunity for you to establish a foundation for your own professional satisfaction, financial security, and lifestyle freedom, to get started you have to select an online platform that fits your interests, skills and budget.
Affiliate marketing provides a low cost and diverse entry to online platforms, with an opportunity for a robust revenue stream if you can promote and market to an identified target market.
If you think you would like to promote other people’s products, in the context of an endorsement or recommendation, your online business can be affiliate marketing.
But do you have the tools to creatively promote products you had no role in creating?
If your online platform of choice is affiliate marketing, you need to be prepared for the opportunity and challenges.
In this article, I explain the real story behind becoming an affiliate marketer to make money online.
Affiliate Marketing is For Promoters
Affiliate marketing is the practice of promoting and selling other company’s products in exchange for a percentage of the sale or a commission.
With the number of businesses running affiliate programs increasing every year, the range of products on offer has made affiliate marketing a multi-billion dollar industry.
An affiliate can promote almost any product, using any legitimate method that will drive clicks to their affiliate link, and begin to earn income without worrying about the actual product creation or manufacturing.
For an aspiring entrepreneur trying to learn business models, being an affiliate provides a worthy training ground in marketing techniques and practices…
…and an uphill struggle to separate a product that possibly hundreds or thousands of others are promoting at the same time.
To be successful, the affiliate marketer must establish a strategy that works for any type of product, and repeatedly apply it across different online platforms to achieve results.
The Trick is Your Attention
From travel to gaming, romance to survivalist tools, technology to hobbies and beyond, affiliate marketing products cut across every industry and category. When you become an affiliate, you can almost certainly find products that match your interests and experience.
Affiliate marketing includes signing up to promote a product you already use, linking to a range of products available in stores, and becoming a member of a dedicated affiliate marketing site which partners with thousands of other companies specifically to create opportunities for affiliates.
It is the latter which will be the emphasis of this article, as signing up for an affiliate program is the deliberate form of getting started.
Who Should Start Affiliate Marketing?
If you want to start an online business, but have no idea how to set-up and market a product, affiliate marketing is your direct path in…
If you:
- Enjoy researching products
- Are prepared to promote
- Have or will create a platform for promoting
- Have or will cultivate a consumer community
…you should consider becoming an affiliate marketer.
You can select the products you want to promote, and the platform from which you will be promoting, and then let the funds come to you.
How to Start Affiliate Marketing
The affiliate marketing platforms are sites – including Awin, Clickbank and Flexoffers – that list thousands of affiliate products available for third parties to promote.
On the site, you sign-up for a free account, browse the offerings, get your affiliate links, and begin marketing on your preferred platforms.
When a consumer uses your link to purchase the product, you collect your percentage or commission. The affiliate sites usually have statistics on sales and commissions to let you know which products are the most likely to be selling well.
Some products stay at the top of the list for years, and are marketed by thousands of affiliates. But once you know how you want to proceed, you can put the product in front of your own community.
You must follow the product rules before you start promoting. Some companies do not want direct ads on Facebook or other social media platforms. To avoid being associated with spam, the Amazon Affiliate program does not want direct links from emails to their products. Some companies require that affiliates receive permission to promote, others leave the offers open.
All of these issues must be taken into consideration before you begin placing the product in front of new potential customers.
Where to Market Affiliate Products
Once you understand the rules for marketing a particular product, then the challenge in affiliate marketing is to decide how and where you will market the products. Your strategy may determine your success, and your ability to turn your affiliate marketing into a business.
Affiliates have created a multitude of approaches for marketing, among the most popular are landing pages, product specific content, product tie-ins, and paid ads. And you distribute one or more of these options via social media, email or even in-person.
Landing Pages
A landing page is a stand-alone webpage. On the page, you can create any content you like – videos, text, images – about the product. You give potential customers the page link, which in turn has your affiliate link to the product.
To create the landing page, you can use a service like Click Funnels or Leadpages – both have a free 14 day trial before switching to paid.
The key to a successful landing page is to make the page copy compelling, and targeted to the audience you are trying to reach. You can either write the copy yourself, or outsource it to a freelancer who can create the wording for you.
You drive people to your landing page to create the pre-sell or pre-suasion that prompts them to click on your affiliate link, and purchase directly from the product site.
Product Specific Content
To help your customers decide on the value of a product, you can create informational content – blogs, podcasts, videos – that provide background information, further research, details or data about the product that is not readily available elsewhere.
If you make the content legitimate and not strictly commercial, you are providing future customers with value prior to making the sale.
Creating this content may cost you time and money. You can invest in equipment, record, edit and distribute, and promote the content directly to prompt customers to go indirectly to the product.
But additional content is an excellent differentiator in situations where thousands of affiliates are promoting the same product. If you target the content to niche customer groups, you can also find customers who may be ignored by the other marketers.
Product Tie-Ins
If you have your own products – books, courses, physical products – that can be appropriately connected to an affiliate product, you can promote the affiliate product with your product.
For example, if you offer a book for free in a sales funnel that leads to affiliate product offers on the thank you page. The affiliate products should fit with the story in the book, and the connection can be explained on the landing page.
Look at your own products and determine if any would work well with the affiliate offers that you see listed on the affiliate site.
You can then create a sales funnel or landing page for your product, with the affiliate links on a second page or on the confirmation or thank you page.
The idea is to put the affiliate product in front of your customers as an option, an extension of your main offer. You do not want the affiliate product to overwhelm your main offer, or be in conflict, so select your affiliate product with care, and present it as a natural additional offer.
Paid Ads
If you have money to spend, you can create ad copy and drive customers directly to the product landing page by buying paid ads. Some platforms, and companies, have strict rules about how ads are to run and identified to viewers. Everyone is trying to avoid appearing like a scam. But assuming you follow the rules, ads are a direct and effective marketing tool.
The key to paid ads is to keep your ad costs below your commission payouts. And you can do this through excellent ad copy.
You can learn to write ad copy yourself, or pay a freelancer to do it for you. Developing the skillset yourself gives you more flexibility. You can adapt and change ad campaigns as the market requires without having to be constantly paying a freelancer to do it for you.
To run paid ads, select your preferred ad platform – Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter – set up your account, set a budget amount, create your copy, post your ads, and frequently monitor the results.
Many entrepreneurs set up paid ads and let them run without checking for effectiveness. This approach will certainly cost you more than you need to spend. Stay on top of your ads, and protect your investment by making sure your ad strategy is delivering for you.
If the ads are not working, stop running them, and either tweak the ad copy or try another strategy.
Making Money with Affiliate Marketing
Since the only way to make money as an affiliate is to have customers buy the product through your link, you have to make sure you are promoting your link in places where your customers are located online, and that you give them a compelling reason to click and learn more about the product.
The product companies will tell you about the successful conversion rates and high commission values, but it’s up to you to try and duplicate the results for yourself.
Affiliate marketing can be a promising and lucrative business, if you find the right approach for the people you are trying to reach, and consistently present them with a message they cannot resist.
What Makes Affiliate Marketing Successful
Once you have found your community of buyers, you can continue to promote appropriate products to them again and again.
In a consumer society, people always find a reason to buy – to improve their health, wealth or happiness – in a complex world.
Your ability to be successful doing affiliate marketing depends on identifying the desires of your customer base, and delivering solutions to them that they will want to purchase.
The more you can convince people of the value of the products you’re promoting, the better your chance to become a successful affiliate marketer, and make other people’s products, your business.
For Case Lane Affiliate Products:
For technology tools and resources: click here
For tools for aspiring entrepreneurs: click here
Disclosure: This article contains affiliate link that earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the Ready Entrepreneur blog.
The Real Story Behind Making Money Online With YouTube Videos
by Case Lane
You know once seen…a dramatic image cannot be unseen.
We do not say this about information we hear, or notes we write down. But what we see stays with us as an impression we cannot shake.
When you are trying to decide which online platform you want to use to build your online business, if you want to choose videos, you can start a YouTube channel with information, guides or even commentary that attracts an audience.
Being a YouTuber, for lack of a better term, is actually one online business that literally requires no investment. But it also requires the highest level of courage. You have to be comfortable on camera, or artistic or creative enough to create images that do not require you to be on camera.
And you have to be consistent and popular enough to attract the minimum audience that allows you to earn from advertising on YouTube. That may be a challenge, but if you make it work, you can also attract sponsorships, build a community, and become a web search recognizable influencer for your subject area.
While starting an online business is an extraordinary opportunity for you to establish a foundation for your own professional satisfaction, financial security, and lifestyle freedom, to get started you have to select an online platform that fits your interests, skills and budget.
Videoing is a powerful communication medium that only requires a minimum audience to begin earning advertising revenue.
But are you camera ready?
Does the YouTube platform have all the elements you want and need for an online business venture?
If your online platform of choice is to be creating videos, you need to be aware of the joys and limitations of the effort.
In this article, I explain the real story behind starting a YouTube channel to make money.
YouTube is For Creative Imagers
YouTube is a video hosting platform that as a division of Google is also a search engine the second largest in the world, delivering answers to questions asked every second by searchers. While there are other video platforms, and it is possible to build a following on another one, YouTube remains the dominate force for all viewers.
YouTube is the search engine results come to life in picture. You will find content that ranges from short How-Tos, to multi-hour courses, trailers to movies, questions to indepth interviews, book quotes to novel readings, reviews, music, podcasts, speeches, news reports, documentaries, commentaries, comedy routines – from every era of video recording to the present day – from every corner of the globe and outerspace.
Five hundred hours of video uploaded…every minute!
One billion hours viewed…each day!
And what may look like insurmountable odds for getting noticed for the average new YouTuber is actually the opportunity to create a business based on your video recording capabilities.
With tens of millions of viewers scrolling the site every second, looking for new and original content, the videos that will be the next to go viral, are the ones that attract enough attention to convince someone to share.
And the shared videos can skyrocket a YouTuber to success overnight.
Creativity is the Answer
Music videos are the most watched videos on YouTube. The genre defined by the rise of MTV (the Music Television cable network) now has a dominant home on the platform. And it was music videos that transformed from bands standing on stage to opera-worthy movie productions that made the MTV generation take notice.
Luckily, you do not have to compete with music videos.
Because the next level of dominance belongs to How-Tos where viewers will take any step-by-step explanation that they can follow and copy.
And commentaries and reviews, where honest words, clever presentations and solid content pre-dominate.
But to operate in this space, and be recognized, the videos that attract the attention are the most creative. While the content is important, the design of YouTube videos – drawings, special effects, spectacular settings, bright lights, awkward angles, intriguing props – all make for videos that can catch…and hold the attention of viewers.
The creator who can take an instructional or motivational video, or a spoken-word piece or lecture, and turn it into art…will stand out and move forward on YouTube.
Who Should Start a YouTube channel?
Whether you want to unleash your image creativity or simply speak directly to the camera, you will have to find content topics that your potential viewers are seeking.
If you:
- Like to be on camera
- Have enough creative ideas to be behind the camera
- Are prepared to promote
You could consider starting a YouTube channel. And you control the amount of work you do by deciding how elaborate or plain-spoken you would like to make your videos.
How to Start a YouTube Channel
Of all the online platforms, YouTube is actually the only one that really requires no investment. Assuming you have a digital device with a camera, microphone and access to the Internet, you can make videos and post them to the platform.
But on YouTube, you are literally competing with all the media companies, global advertisers, and world-class performers who also use the platform for their promotions. While this may be true with other platforms, the issue with YouTube is that it’s so easy for your potential audience to become distracted by another video.
YouTube constantly feeds viewers suggestions of other videos that they may be interested in seeing, and unless you have a significant library of content, the recommended videos will not be yours.
The challenge with YouTube is getting your potential audience to notice you, and to do that, you need the next level of creativity.
Using YouTube
Technically, uploading videos to YouTube is straight-forward. Once you have recorded, and possibly edited your video file, you can upload. But truly understanding the functions and capabilities of the platform can take you to a new ‘school,’ where you can spend time learning how YouTube really works.
As a beginner, take the time to go through YouTube’s own training videos to learn the basic functions, language and best practices. As you become more comfortable with the platform, you may find there are features you would like to incorporate to extend the impact of your videos, and drive viewers on to your content.
Start with Content
Whether you are explaining How-To, or commenting on the state of the world, your YouTube video must be able to hold the attention of the viewer.
Before you start recording, think through your presentation. If you’re creative and adept with video tools, you might be able visualize a spectacular layout. If you’re thinking only of the words you will use, focus on how you will present them.
You on Camera
If you plan to be in front of the camera, as most YouTubers are, you will have to consider how you want to look.
This is where video can cost you money. You can invest in an external camera, ring lights, stands, green screen (for virtual backgrounds), and stand-alone microphone. Even your clothes, hair and makeup, and room props can be stylized for your intended on-screen presence.
While many rage about the need for authenticity in marketing and online business, it’s hard to imagine that many of the videos you see are spontaneous creations by singular individuals. The polished smiles, cute poses, hand gestures, and clean backgrounds all speak to a level of intention in creating the ‘right’ atmosphere for their presentation.
As you decide what works best for you, consider your audience, who are you trying to reach and why a particular approach might appeal to them.
Props for Your Vision
To separate your videos and establish your creative presence, you are going to want to make an investment in time, money or both.
And your YouTube channel can cost you even more money.
You can differentiate your videos by adding virtual effects like dynamic headlines, or real props that allow you to stand out. Some of these editing options are included with video software, some can be bought separately.
Recording and Editing
Creating your video can be as simple or as complicated as your budget will allow. While high quality, professional videos are great, they are not always what works best on YouTube.
If you are doing an explanation video on your desktop, a screen recording using Screenflow (for Mac) or Camtasia (for PC) would be sufficient for viewers who are looking for information.
But if you want to make an impactful message video about major issues, you will want to separate your work from all those who are doing similar activities. You can record your own live video, or use apps that have pre-cleared live video scenes that you can incorporate with your own words and graphics.
And once you have recorded your video, you can spend time editing to include music, layered images, additional videos or other features that create a polished product.
You can do all this work yourself, or outsource editing, if you have the budget for those costs. Either way, when your video is ready, you can upload directly to YouTube and be live.
Making Money with YouTube
YouTube is the only major platform that enforces minimum interest numbers before allowing you to profit from your content. As of this writing, you need 1,000 subscribers to your channel, and 4,000 hours of viewing to monetize your video channel with advertising.
But prior to reaching those numbers you can still make money if you are able to obtain sponsorships or promote your own products.
Sponsorships
Being a YouTuber is one time when using other people’s products can be particularly lucrative. If you are creating videos that use specific products to tell the story, you may be able to have the products’ companies sponsor your videos.
You will have to show you have an audience, and deliver a sense of the value the sponsor could derive from the video. Sometimes advertisers will only be interested in sending you more free product to promote, but others may be inclined to pay you a fee if you have a niche audience they want to target.
For sponsorships, it does not hurt to ask for the opportunity, and see how the potential sponsor responds.
Product Promotion
You can also be your own sponsor.
If your videos tie in with your own products – books, courses, physical products – you can either incorporate them directly into your videos, or simply place links in your video description.
Promoting your own product can enhance your video’s message, if you are aligned with the message of your video.
Of course, blatant direct promotion with no value will not win you any viewers. But information tailored to help your audience can be seen as integral and effective in reaching out.
Advertising
If you continue to grow your channel organically using messaging that supports your audience’s interests, you will eventually hit the numbers necessary to profit from advertising on YouTube.
At that point, YouTube’s own programs will step in to direct ads to you based on your video content. As your channel grows, with viewers and likes, your advertising revenue can grow also.
Although you can indicate certain preferences for ad placement on you YouTube videos, in general Since YouTube controls the ads, and there is no option to do your own advertising with affiliates like you could with a blog or podcast. But as mentioned previously, you can incorporate any type of advertising directly into your videos, and make them part of the creative process.
What Makes YouTubing Successful
The numbers really are spectacular. If you can drive viewers to your videos, and your videos are shared, you have an opportunity to make more money.
YouTube is part of the search engine, writing your video title and description to include keywords and search terms can help drive discovery. Many people go directly to YouTube when searching for specific information. They want to consume a video rather than read a post with the same details. If you plan to be YouTubing, you should keep that in mind.
Successful YouTube channels have consistent valuable content, usually a lot of it. Once viewers find a look and style that’s appealing, they want to return for more. If you enjoy making your videos and can continue to deliver new and different subjects, your audience will continue to grow.
The real story behind YouTubing to make money online is that while you can start for nothing, you have to differentiate your videos with creativity that you post, share and cultivate for an audience that will keep coming back for more.
YouTube is a huge platform and a key element in search, if you can align your own creativity and ability to attract viewers, you will benefit from the opportunity to turn your YouTubing into an online business.
For Case Lane’s YouTube channel, click here:
The Real Stories Behind Making Money Online Blog Series
What does it really take to earn an online income? Is there a trick? A special sauce? Magical fairy dust?
Or is it just about hard work, perseverance and persistence?
Or do you have to get lucky? Know the right people? Have friends who will buy your stuff?
The Series
In this multi-part blog series (which is also a podcast series), Case Lane takes a detailed look at eight online business platforms, and answers the questions every aspiring entrepreneur wants to know:
- Am I the right type of person to start this business?
- How do I get set-up?
- Where does the money come from?
The Platforms
Click the image or blog link to read the Real Story Behind the Online Platforms that interest you.
And if you are not sure which business to start…read the whole series or listen to the podcast episodes on The Ready Entrepreneur podcast episodes 143 to 150 here: https://www.readyentrepreneur.com/podcast/
How You Really Make Money Online with Podcasting
by Case Lane
This post is part of the Real Stories Behind Making Money Online Series.
Information is valid as of February 26, 2022
The oral tradition has sustained humanity for millennia. Without the spoken word, and the passing of information through speech, our progress would have been severely slowed.
So when the podcasting format appeared, with its ease of use and access, no human should have been surprised when everyone decided to start a podcast.
But in fact, although podcasting looks like the ready domain of every talker across all subjects and ideas, today there are over 3 million podcasts, a fraction of which have at least ten episodes, and another fraction of which are considered consistently active.
As the least crowded of the major online platforms, podcasting is an extraordinary opportunity for anyone with a message. But creating a podcast does require production equipment, some technical skill, and quiet time to get your show recorded.
And of course, there is the talking part…
Podcasting is for those who can carry on a conversation, teach, entertain, or facilitate discussion for an audience they cannot see. It is not for those who are turned off by the sound of their own voice, afraid to play with digital files, and have no interest in promotion.
With podcasting, the opportunity to create and join the podcaster community remains a reality for those who want to try it. As each new show emerges, a successful gem brightens, and the excitement over podcasting begins again.
And it’s important to understand how you can monetize your podcast, and use the audio program to your advantage.
Podcasting as Your Online Business
While starting an online business is an extraordinary opportunity for you to establish a foundation for your own professional satisfaction, financial security, and lifestyle freedom, to get started you have to select an online platform that fits your interests, skills and budget.
Podcasting allows you to have open discussions about any subject in the world, share the conversations you want, grow an audience that enjoys listening to valuable information, and earn income through sponsorships, advertising and memberships.
But does the platform have all the elements you want and need for an online business venture?
If your online platform of choice is to start a podcast, you need to be aware of the joys and limitations of the effort.
In this article, I explain the real story behind starting a podcast to make money online.
Podcasting is for Talkers
A podcast is a streaming audio program, usually recorded, sometimes live, that can be supported by advertising, sponsors or listeners.
The term podcast comes from merging the idea of an iPod, a portable audio player, with broadcasting to, in the beginning, play radio programs. The pod part remains a mystery for those who may not know the word iPod was made up by a copywriter.
Although many have tried to develop an acronym for it…the word is just iPod. A word now forever tied to the podcast communication medium. While most iPods remain buried in the back of consumers closets, the podcast holds firm as the legacy creation from the device’s existence.
Today, podcast content has gone far beyond existing radio programs. The range of programming you can listen to includes commentaries, historical narratives, interviews, true crime, sports analysts, fictional dramas and much more.
If you want to start a podcast to make money online, you have to consider the subject you will be delivering to your listening audience. Is there an angle or viewpoint missing from the current offering of podcasts (there always is), and how can you deliver for that audience?
Podcasting is for talkers, and podcasts are for listeners. The content you need to create to make podcasting pay must align with that basic fact. You have to create audio programming that people want to hear.
Become a Podcast Host
When you create a podcast, you are the host. Whether you plan to speak solo on a subject for a half-hour, interview an interesting speaker, or direct a debate between two guests, you are in charge of the show.
When you are thinking about creating your podcast, consider who you want to be, and how you want to run the show.
Podcast Format
Podcasts are found through podcast directories, and all list various categories of related content. But all of the categories are subject…not format, specific.
You are going to want to select a format for your show.
Decide on the type of show you want to host. Some shows sound like parties, others are serious. Some have a lot of adult language, some play music, some are always live…you can do any type of performance to attract your audience.
You can even mix your formats, maybe have a commentary episode , then an interview, then a teaching episode, then back to a commentary.
Podcasting has no rules. You decide on the format, length, content, tone, and pace of your show.
The only basic concept is that the audio must be clear. You are asking listeners to give up their time to hear your show. Poor audio quality creates an unsatisfactory user experience, which typically does not lead to repeat customers.
If there is a question between experimental content and audio quality, choose audio quality all the time.
Should You Start a Podcast?
Once you consider the format that might work for you, you will have to decide if podcasting is going to be your online business.
You can go all in with a podcast..if you:
- Like to talk
- Have a good subject area or topic, or a flair for audio creativity
- Are not afraid to promote your program
- Have the ability to edit and produce digital audio, or pay someone to do the work for you
- Are prepared to be consistently and reliably posting shows
How to Start a Podcast
The technical aspects of starting a podcast creates trepidation for potential podcasters.
The basic approach is:
- Name your show
- Record an audio program, edit as necessary
- Create a show graphic for the cover art
- Upload to a podcast hosting service
The process can be 100% free, which is one reason there are so many podcasts that only post an episode or two. Assuming you have a digital device like a smartphone, and access to the Internet. You can record your audio, download your file, and host your podcast on a free service.
But if you definitely want to build a business out of your podcast, in most cases there will be upfront expenses for a quality external microphone and a dedicated podcast hosting service. If you decide to have a website for your show, your costs increase.
The investment in an external microphone is typically worth the cost. As stated earlier, audio quality is the hallmark of good podcasting, and having a dedicated microphone gives your show a professional characterization that you will want to continue.
No Frills Podcasting
The no-frills, all free road to podcasting would work like this:
- Record your show on your smartphone or laptop using the built-in microphone
- Edit your show using free software like Audacity, or don’t edit at all
- Create a show graphic using a free tool like Canva
- Create an account on a free hosting service like Anchor, and upload your files
In no time, you will be live and broadcasting to the world. As you grow your audience, you can add the other features that would transform your podcast into a business.
Podcast Hosting
A podcast hosting service stores your recorded file and creates an RSS feed that can be distributed widely to ensure you reach your targeted audience.
Today, podcast hosting providers offer free and paid services.
Free Podcast Hosting
Increased competition has opened up opportunities for podcasters as more free services are offered by hosting providers who cover programming needs. In fact, some of the free services are beginning to offer more features than the paid ones!
But typically, there will be a catch – usually related to using the service’s branding and advertising – which constrain your money making options and intentions.
Paid Podcast Hosting
Paid hosting will include features like reporting where you can track your audience growth, and tools for social media or your own website.
Costs typically depend on factors like podcast length. For example, Buzzsprout’s rates are free for up to two hours a month, paid rate starts at $12 a month for up to three hours.
If you plan to do a daily half-hour podcast, you should look for the most affordable rate.
Recording and Distributing Your Podcast
Recording
Once you know where you will be hosting your content, you can create it. Podcast content is created everywhere – from car commutes to Hollywood studios. But if you’re just starting out, your preference is likely to be a quiet corner of your home where no external noises will be picked up by the microphone.
But even intended silence is not assured, as dogs bark, kids laugh, and the delivery trucks drop packages at your door.
You will have to find the best time to record, maybe after trying several times, before you know what will work best for you.
Ad-libbing versus Reading
Some podcasters swear by the natural, free-flowing conversational style that ad-libbing brings to a recorded show. They keep just a few points in mind, and then say what they want to say off the top of their heads.
Others find ad-libbing too unstructured and risky. They prefer to remember everything they want to say by writing it down first, and reading from a prepared document.
If you are doing a commentary show, you may want to have notes to help you remember your best points, and ad-lib only at naturally sounding spots in your dialogue.
For interviews, you have almost the same split between those who read from prepared questions, and those who allow the conversation to flow. Since either option can make for great audio, you just have to decide how comfortable you are with the outcome.
Editing
Uhhh….Ummm…click…long pause…doorbell…Ahhh…long pause…’oh, can you take that out?…’
Editing the podcast can turn a 30 minute project into three hours, it smothers the joy of the production, and can be one of the reasons many podcasters drop off the platform after only a few episodes.
Some podcasters recommend leaving in all the ‘natural’ sounds, but have you ever heard a successful podcast that is not also a clear and smooth broadcast? If your guest takes long pauses that split the flow of the show, that’s where you start editing. If the sounds are just natural conversational speak, you can leave it in.
Either way, even if you are not personally editing the core show content, you may need to add an intro or outro to your show, or if you want to get paid…advertising, which still takes time and requires some production.
Editing can be outsourced, but you must carefully select your editor and provide clear instructions. You will still need to listen to the show to make sure it sounds the way you intended.
If the first editor you select does not work out, keep trying until you find a good one.
If you have no funds to hire an editor, you will have to do the work yourself using free software like Audacity. The app has a lot of features, but you only to need to learn the basics that will help you create a good show. So go ahead and set aside the extra time to get the editing work done.
But remember, editing is not the fun part of podcasting. Be aware that this may the beginning and end of your efforts if you are not realistic about the time and effort it takes to produce a good-sounding show.
Adding Music and Effects
Music is a wonderful addition to a podcast show, especially a consistent intro that becomes your theme. On the Ready Entrepreneur podcast, you can hear the ‘news room’ sound that signals the show is information and discussion oriented.
To add music to your show, you can search for websites that offer free, cleared music.
Clearances
If you plan to use copyrighted music, and make money off your podcast, you must obtain a clearance from the copyright owner. Unilaterally, using someone else’s content to make money is not legal, and not cool.
Send an email to the copyright owner explaining who you are, why you want to use the music, and how you plan to use the music. You might be surprised by the response. Many copyright owners are happy to share their creation, especially since podcasts are offered for free, and an up and coming podcaster who intends a limited use of the product, is not typically a threat to their ownership.
Video Podcasts
YouTube has become one of the top platforms for ‘listening’ to podcasts. And many podcasters make a video version of their show.
If you are doing interviews, and use Zoom or another video communication platform to record, you automatically have another asset when you create the podcast. You can edit the video and put it on your YouTube channel.
Creating a video podcast enhances your web presence, provides more search engine results, gives you an opening to another audience, and provides your guests with another asset to share with their audience.
The video podcast is extra work, but it is also a great option for extending your podcast brand.
Transcripts
Re-purposing podcast material is one of the reasons the medium is a great asset for podcasters. If you write out your show, you have automatically created the transcript that you can also post when you upload the episode and make it available to listeners.
In general, best practice is to include a transcript of your show for the hearing-impaired. While there is limited enforcement of this practice, if you have the material, you should post it. If you wrote out your show but ad-libbed, you can put a disclaimer at the top of the transcript that says it may not be an exact word-for-work transcription of the show.
The transcript can also be used to create subtitles if you decide to post a video version.
When you are first getting started with your show, focus on delivering great content. But as you are comfortable with production…and certain you will continue, look at the other services offered by your hosting provider and consider adding features to your show.
Admin and Legal Stuff
DISCLAIMER: This section is provided for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. For all legal issues related to your podcast, you should seek the advice of a legal professional.
When you create a podcast, accessibility is not the only administrative issue that you may encounter.
If you are doing guest interviews, many guests will assume it is audio only. But if you plan to post the video, make sure you advise your guests, that show will include a video version – and get a signed clearance.
Your podcast episodes are assets and you want to be able to use them across platforms as you see fit. While there has yet to be a major case of someone suing over a podcast interview, it’s better to get clearance ahead of time that the guest knows you own the show, and may use the audio, video and guest likeness (photos) for distribution and promotion.
You can obtain this clearance before the interview by including it as a statement on your guest interview form that the potential guest has to check before submitting their request.
You should also be careful about using copyrighted images, quotes, graphics, videos or other content. You want your podcast to stand-alone as your own material, so make sure all the content you include is owned by you, or has an open creative-use license.
Podcast Directories
Once you have completed recording and editing your show, you will post it to your hosting provider.
Most hosts will automatically distribute your show to a number, but not all, of the podcast directories. The podcast directories are the lists of all the podcasts available to listen to on a specific platform.
While the biggest names like Apple, Amazon and Spotify are exactly where you want to be, you will also want to make sure your podcast is listed on every available source.
Being in every directory increases your search presence, and enhances your ability to be found by random listeners. When you search for your podcast online, you want to ‘own’ the first page of search results.
Check your host provider’s list of automatic feeds against the list of all possible directories to confirm that your podcast can be found ‘wherever you listen to podcasts.’
Promoting Your Show
While you can be discovered through a listener directory search, the only successful way to promote your show is word of mouth.
No podcast directory is perfect in its search and information capabilities. And no service is offered that breaks down all the podcast information to help you find the exact type of show you are looking for.
So if you have a podcast, you have to promote, promote and promote again.
The podcast launch is typically the first move new podcasters make to get their show in front of people. You promote directly to your list, friends, organizations, and anywhere you have an audience to let them know that your show is available.
But after the launch, you have to keep growth going by spreading the word through social media, your work or business, speaking, and guest podcasting.
For every episode, create show posts that highlight the content and can be promoted across social media platforms. If you have guests, distribute the posts to them and encourage them to promote on their own social feeds.
If you are speaking about a particular product or person on your show, give them a shoutout on social media also, by tagging, and letting them know they were featured.
And keep talking about your podcast. Mention your show wherever you have a chance. Re-use the content, across platforms, and re-use the promotion materials to re-feature a good or popular episode once or twice a year.
How Podcasts Make Money
The more you can promote your show, get the word out, drive listeners to you, and raise your ranking and popularity, the more opportunities you will have to make money.
There are multiple ways to make money with a podcast, but the four most direct are to promote your own or affiliate products, get paid advertising, get a sponsor or sell a membership to exclusive content.
Promote Products
Your podcast is your platform, and you can choose to promote your own or affiliate products as part of your show.
When deciding to promote, find products that align with the content of your show and integrate them into the discussion or commentary that you are already doing. The transition can be smooth, as you state that you have an affiliate link in the description of the show, or you can do a hard break, and ‘insert’ your own type of advertising.
If you are promoting your own products, especially books and courses, you should be able to clearly connect your content to the content of your podcast (unless they are completely different topics). This actually enhances your authority, and gives your audience more insight into the value you deliver.
You can create your own ads, add music and effects and make it sound like a professional advertisement. But be careful about being too ‘salesy’ or promoting products out of context. You want to provide valuable information to your audience, this includes information about products or services they can use.
But you do not want your show to be just an advertising vehicle, so choose wisely.
State the links in your ad or comment, and put them in the episode description. If your listener is interested they may just click and buy the product.
Paid Advertising
You can also have third party advertisers place ads in your show. For the most part, you have to have minimum audience numbers to attract national brands. But if you are talking about a specific subject, which may be interesting to specialized or local businesses, you can solicit advertising directly from them.
Advertisers are looking to target unique and niche audiences. If you demonstrate how you can deliver ‘ears’ you may be able to attract advertising even if you have a small podcast.
Start by reaching out directly to advertisers you think may be interested. Tell them about your show theme, topic, audience size and frequency. Remember once you commit to delivering a show for an advertiser, you have to deliver the show. So make sure you are comfortable with podcasting as your platform before actively reaching out for ads.
When you have paid ads, you are typically paid upfront, you don’t have to wait for someone to click on the ad. This helps give you some stability and support for your podcast.
Sponsorships
You appeal to sponsors the same way you would reach out to paid advertisers, by telling them how aligning with you would be good for business.
A sponsorship can be for an entire episode, or for the show. Sponsors can request that you read promotional material, or refer to the sponsor in comments, or for a portion of the show.
If you have a video podcasts, sponsors can ask for their product to be displayed behind or beside you, or even on you, if it’s a clothing.
If you have a specialized topic, you may be able to obtain a sponsor to cover your editing, transcribing, hosting and other costs. The only way to find out is to ask.
Memberships
You can also ask your audience.
In recent years, more podcasters are reaching out to their audience to sponsor and financially support the show through paid memberships. The podcasters offer exclusive members only content in exchange for a fixed or open fee.
As a podcaster this will mean providing additional content like the video, snippets, learning guides, exclusive outtakes from interviews, or other material that extends the podcast brand, while building a home for the audience community.
While there can be a lot of extra work in establishing a membership site, it can also be an outstanding opportunity to grow your entire business.
Your podcast community can also become the community that buys your books, courses, products, and services. You can start with membership in a podcast and turn it into membership in your world. And the more you grow your listeners, the more opportunities you have to make money online with a podcast.
What Makes Podcasts Successful?
While the most successful podcasts begin with great content, there are plenty of shows that are able to deliver that initial element. What separates them from the shows that have millions of listeners? A few key factors…
Consistency
When listeners see a show has hundreds, now thousands of episodes, they are more willing to make an investment in the podcaster, because the podcaster has made an investment in them. Consistently posting a show, and building day-to-day or week-to-week gives the listener a sense of security…and FOMO…
If a listener sees the show constantly putting up new episodes, they begin to wonder what they are missing and are more inclined to check and click on the latest information they want.
Specificity
Listeners are searching for people who are speaking about the subjects they care about, and being relevant and interesting in the process. If you can find a topic with a core audience that is currently under-served but available, you will have your successful podcast.
Uniqueness
With three million podcasts, there should be three million unique voices, but far too often podcasters try to copy the work of those that they hear.
The most successful podcasters create a unique voice, one people identify with that person. From the types of questions that are asked, to the shock-value of their commentary, to the revelation style of their facts…these types of speakers have transformed audio programming, and taken the audience along with them.
As you set out to be a podcaster, think about your unique voice, your singular message and your particular style. Be an emergent leader in the space, and promote to those who have been waiting to hear from you.
Podcasting is an extraordinary opportunity for you if you have a message that you want to deliver. There is a spot waiting for you, and you can use podcasting to make money online.
On the Ready Entrepreneur Podcast, I offer information and advice on getting started with an online business, and interviews with outstanding entrepreneurs about their journey, find the show wherever you listen to podcasts:
You can also hear Case Lane interviews on dozens of awesome shows focused on:
Entrepreneurship: https://www.readyentrepreneur.com/podcast-guest-appearances/
Guest Podcasting: https://www.readyentrepreneur.com/podcast-guest-appearances-speaking-about-guest-podcasting/
Awesome Product Offers
If you want to start guest podcasting to promote your product or business, click here to get an extraordinary offer on my Expert’s Guide to Finding Podcasts for An Interview:
If you would like to get the Podcast Directory List of where to post your podcast, click here: https://podcastgueststar.com/podcast-directories-list/
DISCLOSURE: links to Buzzsprout are affiliate links that earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.
Looking for the Right Path for Starting Your Online Business?
Click the image below to find the Dominate Start Your Online Business course
How You Really Make Money Online with Blogging
by Case Lane
This post is part of the Real Stories Behind Making Money Online Series
In the beginning, it was the Internet curious’s first introduction to creating online – starting a blog. Today, it remains the most dominate creative platform – more than 600 million blogs – more than ten times the number of YouTube channels and podcast shows combined.
That fact should make one point obvious…blogs are, arguably, the easiest online platform for launching your online business.
But how many of those 600 million blogs are making money for the blogger?
Blogs operate in a crowded marketplace where you have to be prepared to promote and market your message. So if you’re shy about telling people about your thoughts or creativity, blogging may not be for you.
Blogging as Your Online Business
While starting an online business is an extraordinary opportunity for you to establish a foundation for your own professional satisfaction, financial security, and lifestyle freedom, to get started you have to select an online platform that fits your interests, skills and budget.
Blogging remains an incredible force for delivering a message, creating a community, and earning advertising revenue. But does the platform have all the elements you want and need for an online business venture?
If your online platform of choice is to create a blog, you need to be aware of the joys and limitations of the effort.
In this article, I explain the real story behind blogging to make money online.
Blogging is for Writers
Blogs are websites, almost always supported by advertising, that writers fill with content aimed at their target audience.
At its core, blogging is the written word. For creators, blogging means consistently writing articles online around a specific theme or subject. The word blog comes from ‘web log…weblog’ a phrase used to describe the act of journaling or recording (logging) information online.
To create a blog to start an online business, you must create written content…or have it created for you.
Blogging is for writers, and blogs are for readers. People who want to get their information in written words.
Types of Blogs for Making Money Online
With 600 million options, breaking blogs down into specific categories may be an overreach, but in general there are three popular types of blogs – information, commentary and product-specific.
Information Blogs
The most popular blogs offer information, such as How-Tos and guides. They provide step-by-step processes, and insight into products, services and issues. For many readers, these types of blogs are consistently delivering information they want to learn more about or research.
A blogger who provides information is creating a go-to platform for a topic or idea. Once enough interested readers learn about the blog’s existence, it can jump to the top of search rankings for the topic, and become a popular site.
If you are planning to create an information blog, the key is to be a great resource. You do the research your readers want to avoid, and you put the information together in easily digestible articles.
In this case, you do not have to be a great writer. You just have to make sure you are delivering information that a particular audience is seeking.
Because you already know the information readers are searching for, these types of blogs are the fastest and easiest blogs to create. Spend time researching the topic, then re-organize, re-write, and aggregate the data you find into new articles that address the topic for your target audience.
This approach also allows you to outsource the work. If writing is not your strength, or you have no time to do the research, you can use a freelancer site like Fiverr to find someone who can put together the information based on your ideas.
For example, you may find a subject where most of the existing blogs are aimed at college students, and you decide to do one aimed at the parents of college students. It can be similar information, but re-written for the parents consumption, and interests.
Also, if you can write well (or outsource) in a language other than English, there is extraordinary opportunity available to write about popular blog subjects in other global languages.
As the Internet continues to grow and spread around the world, you may find your ability to deliver information in a language used where online usage is on the rise, provides you with an opening where other bloggers cannot compete.
Commentary Blogs
Another successful blog theme is commentary – the original web log. Some famous bloggers are known only for their comments and observations about society and the world. These blogs can have millions of readers who enjoy the writer’s viewpoint, and learn from their perspective.
If you are writing a commentary blog, then you do have to be a good writer because the blog is directly from you, and your ideas have to resonate with the reader. These types of blog literally hang on the word of the blogger. If the writing is bad, the blog is a non-starter.
That said, the definition of ‘bad’ is relevant to the audience you are targeting. If you want to write a slang-filled, emoji-driven commentary blog aimed at high school students, then you may have a niche. But you still have to make the content valuable to that audience. It has to be ‘good’ to them.
Commentary blogs are the most difficult to launch because everyone has an opinion these days. But if you have a way of looking at the world that is unique, and underserved, you may be able to take a commentary blog to an audience that wants to learn more from you.
Product-Specific Blogs
Another type of blog is a mini-website aimed specifically at marketing a product by providing content-rich articles related to the product’s purpose.
The site will have ten to fifteen articles all leading to the same conclusion – the reader should get the product.
These blogs are advertising and affiliate marketing vehicles designed as information blogs, but the content is legitimate (assuming you are not a scammer).
This is a blog where the idea is to deliver information, but it’s not general information, it’s tailored to the product and all issues related to the product.
For example, if you are marketing a new vacuum cleaner, you could have articles about the perils of dust, carpet maintenance, keeping your family healthy, the exercise benefits of doing household chores, and so on.
These types of blogs are one-and-done. You write the core articles, set-up the webpages, and drive traffic to the site.
Once again, you do not need to be a creative writer, you are aggregating topic-specific information for an audience that is looking for the insight. Your articles must be valuable and useful to them, especially if it is new or misunderstood information.
This is also an opportunity to outsource the writing, but you have to be creative about the topics related to the product. You are looking for products that cross over a variety of different issues, and give you sufficient content to create a legitimate site.
Who Should Start a Blog?
Regardless of your type of blog, you want the content to stay consistent and reliable. So the hard truth about blogging is that you have to keep posting relevant content. You have to find enough content to maintain interest for a growing audience. That is a challenge that many aspiring entrepreneurs do not conquer.
If you:
- Like to write
- Come up with good ideas
- Are not afraid to promote your own writing to strangers
- Have a good subject area or topic
- Have money each month to spend on maintaining your website until you can grow your advertising revenue
- Are prepared to be consistently and reliably posting to your website
…then you are likely ready to move forward with starting a blog.
But blogging can be tedious, especially if you are lukewarm about your subject, and since it’s the most crowded online platform, you have to be creative to stand-out and be counted.
How to Start a Blog
As mentioned earlier, blogs are the easiest online business to start, but one that requires maintenance and has up-front costs to do it right.
The basic approach is:
- Get a domain name
- Set-up a webpage
- Start writing and posting content
Domain Name
Free Domain name
If you decide to use free website hosting, you will also likely receive a free ‘hosting’ domain, which typically includes the name of the website provider in your domain name.
This is a domain name you do not own, and one that may be long and cumbersome to use when speaking or posting about your new blog.
But for some, a free domain may be a necessary option for getting started without any upfront costs, but if you have a few dollars ready, and you are serious about your blog, you should start with a custom domain name.
Custom Domain name
The domain name is the name of your website. For many bloggers, it can be their ownname.com, for others it’s the subject they are discussing. You just have to decide.
Domains can cost as little as $3 a month to start. You can buy the domain from a stand-alone site, or purchase it when you set-up your webpage on a hosting site.
Carefully check the renewal terms for your domain name. Sometimes you can get the domain for a low introductory price, but it renews at ten times that rate, a year later.
Although a great domain name is valuable, like all actions in starting an online business, it is better to move forward than to worry about picking the perfect domain.
If you’re not sure, go with your own name or a made-up-name and move on. You have no online business until your site is live, so getting launched should be your focus.
Website
Free or Paid
Before you create your website, you must decide if you want to use free or paid blog hosting services.
Your blog is hosted on a website, which is hosted on a server managed by a website hosting provider.
‘Free’ means you sign-up and begin writing and posting content without paying any upfront fees. The ‘catch’ with free is there may be limitations on whether or not you can advertise on the platform. Since you are starting the blog to make money, this would be a limitation, but not an obstruction to making money.
But, If you are not sure if blogging is right for you, start with free services, and switch to paid when you are certain you want to move forward with the platform.
If you know you want to be a blogger and start with paid hosting, you have more flexibility to do what you want with the blog.
Your Own Website
Once you select your paid provider, they typically provide basic services aimed at getting you set-up. There are many blogging apps, but the most popular is WordPress, and you can quickly set-up a basic WordPress site through your provider.
Since WordPress provides flexible functionality for a website, for example, you can host an eCommerce store with your blogs, some bloggers find WordPress too complex for their plans, and are comfortable with a ‘blogging’ only app.
If you think you might want to do more with your blog – for example on my website for Ready Entrepreneur, along with the blog, I have my podcast embedded, links to online courses, and a store – and I am able to use plugins to extend the capabilities of the site from inserting landing pages from another app under the same domain, to capturing contact information.
As always, if you are unsure, start with the most basic option and be prepared to build from there.
Third Party Website
Blogging platforms, like Medium.com are websites where bloggers can establish their reputation and build an audience. These sites allow anyone to open an account and posts blogs, for free. Although these sites lead to a variety of subjects, they also attract a variety of readers who want to discover new voices, and learn more.
If you want to access the reader audience on these platforms, you can repurpose the blogs you create on your website. This allows you to gain both the traffic on the platform that is casually browsing, and the followers on your site who could one day become your dream customers.
Writing, Posting and Distributing Your Content
Once you have set-up your domain and webpage or site account, it’s time to write and post content.
Refer back to the Types of Blogs section to pick the direction you want to take your content.
If you are looking for topic ideas, listen to your friends, colleagues and neighbors, check social media, Google trends, and news headlines, and remember how you became interested in the subject in the first place. You probably have stories, ideas and anecdotes from your own experiences that could make the content for a blog.
Take a look at the work other bloggers are doing. Do not copy. Instead use other content as inspiration, and as a springboard for developing your own ideas.
You can post blogs on your own schedule as little or as often as you wish. But the more consistently you post, the more reliable you will appear to your readers. If readers enjoy one article, and they see another one the following week, and the week after, they are more likely to remember you, and maybe even recommend your work to others.
Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process, both technical and creative, that you use to help search engines find your blog. When you distribute your blog online, you should always make sure that you are search optimized, to drive organic traffic doing searches.
You will find many SEO apps and plugins online, and implementing SEO practices is not difficult. But being noticed is a challenge, you will have to do your own work to ensure people click on your blog.
Do Your Own Promotion
While search engines can organically find your blog, you will have to do your own distribution and promotion to drive traffic to your site.
Social Media
You can use social media to drive traffic to your blog by posting about the topic you wrote about and including the direct link to your blog in your posts. Add images or videos to attract attention, and ignite curiosity about your content.
For bloggers, all of the big social media sites are helpful, except Instagram, which does not have links in regular content. So if your content is visual, and insta-perfect, this limitation will be a concern, but you have the work-around of using the other platforms.
If your social media followers are mostly friends and family, include a Call-to-Action for them to share the post with their networks.
Track Your Traffic
If you have your own website, you can set-up analytics to track your visitors and the pages they frequent. This data will help you understand your most popular content, and perhaps give you additional content ideas, or more promotions you can do for specific content.
Track consistently to look for trends and opportunities to grow your blog’s popularity. For example, if you notice more traffic is coming from mobile, you can do a more mobile-friendly layout for those users.
How Blogs Make Money Online
The final part of your blog set-up is monetization…making money from the blog.
For the most part, your revenue opportunity comes from placing advertising on your blog pages. You can have Google ads automatically on your pages, affiliate ads that you place yourself, or links to your own digital or physical products that you sell in your own store or on a third party platform.
Essentially, having a blog works like a broadcast television network that creates lots of content, and drives ‘eyeballs’ to the shows that advertisers are paying to be featured on.
Your opportunity in earning for your blog comes from driving as much traffic as possible to your site, and having a percentage of that traffic click on the ads, and in the case of affiliates, making a purchase.
Google Ad Sense
The fastest way to begin making money with a blog is to set up a free account with Google Ad Sense, and let the search engine automatically post ads on your blog pages. Google’s advertising program pays you for clicks through to the sponsored ad pages.
You can control where the ads are placed, and to which pages, and you can ban content you don’t want associated with your work.
Google is set to match your blog content to related ads, but if subject matter is beyond the translation of Google’s A.I., you might find the ads do not match at all.
Once you set-up with Ad Sense, continuing monitoring the placement of ads to make sure they are where you expect to see them.
Affiliate Ads
Affiliate advertising is when you align with a third party to promote their product or service, and earn a flat rate or percentage for purchases made by other people through your links.
With many affiliate programs, you can sign-up for free on sites like Swagbucks, and place their advertising images with your affiliate link directly on your page. As more people sign-up, you earn a ‘bounty’ for bringing in new affiliates.
If you join the Amazon Affiliates program, you can also earn a ‘bounty’ for sign-ups to continuity programs like Amazon Prime.
Or you can promote products, including almost everything on Amazon.com, and earn whenever someone purchases a product through your link. As mentioned in the content section, you can even have an entire blog that is linked to affiliate products.
Because there are affiliate programs for almost every product you can think of, you should be able to find products that align with your blog content.
To keep your blog orderly, you want to have ads that support your product, and do not make your site look just like an advertising vehicle for sponsored products, or worse, a scam.
Links to Your Own Products
If you sell your own physical or digital products, you can use a blog to drive people to your products.
Write blogs that align with your product, then promote your product links directly in the blog or in the sidebars of your website.
This is often done with reviews (which you do not write for your own product, but you can post what others write), the review is linked back to the product.
But the real success in using this process is to write the definitive article about the value of your product, and then drive people through the links to your purchase pages.
Extension Products
Advertising is the direct way that blogs make money, but if you have a successful blog you can repurpose it to make money on other online platforms like podcasts and YouTube.
If your blogging positions you as an authority on a subject, you can also create courses, sell coaching, write books, or do speeches or other activities that are related to your blogging content, but are not directly revenue created from the blog.
All of these opportunities come with time, once you make your blog successful.
But when you are starting out, and you have no traffic to your blog, you will have no money from your blog, that’s the reality.
That’s why you must think carefully about how much you are willing to spend up-front, and how much time you will place in promoting your blog.
If your SEO is working, or your topic is unique and sought after, it’s possible for organic traffic to discover your blog, click on your ads, and you make money. But in general, if you are too shy promote your own work, you will not have a chance to earn from your blog.
What Makes Blogs Successful
A successful blog has great content. But that’s only the beginning.
The most popular blogs are delivering a form of comfort to readers. Whether it’s in the form of information or provocative statements or how-tos, a reader is satisfied after reading a great blog. And they’ll keep coming back for more if they feel the content is consistent and always appealing.
To get your blog into a success position, which means it starts paying you, build on the positive comments and reviews you receive.
Try to discover what appealed most to those readers, and why. You don’t have to start trying to tailor every blog to a raving fan, but it helps if you have an understanding as to why a specific blog post resonated with people.
From the beginning, blogging has been about the writing. While many blogs contain great visuals or videos, it’s the writing that brings people back time and again. If you want your blog to stand out and be noticed, that’s where to start.
But all the other activities must be completed also to make your blog a professional and reliable site for return readers. And you must promote the blog to as many people as possible to get the traffic on your site that will make your business profitable.
Choose blogging as your online business platform if you’ve come this far and believe you have the ingredients to make it work. But, ignore blogging if you plan to only do a superficial job of writing and promoting your site.
The real story behind starting a blog to make money is to make an effort marketing and promoting your blog to drive traffic to your site. Because without the upfront effort in creating your own publicity, you are unlikely to make any money. But with it, you give yourself a chance to stand-out among the 600 million and take your place in the online entrepreneur community.
Check out Case Lane’s blogs:
For aspiring entrepreneurs: https://www.readyentrepreneur.com/blog-posts/
For guest podcasting: https://podcastgueststar.com/
For fast, healthy eating: https://food.readyentrepreneur.com/blog/
For travel: https://travel.readyentrepreneur.com/
For Case Lane books: https://caselane.com/blog/
DISCLOSURE: links to Amazon.com, Bluehost and Case Lane’s books on Amazon.com are affiliate links that earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.
Looking for the Right Path for Starting Your Online Business?
Click the image below to find the Dominate Start Your Online Business course
Maximize Your Podcast Listening: Use Interviews to Learn from Virtual Mentors
The Podcast Discoveries Series
by Case Lane
Life in the Internet Age is really two lives.
One is online where you now engage with family, friends, colleagues, and strangers through screens providing a heightened literal face-to-face communication confrontation.
When that harrowing ordeal is over, you check your phone for texts, images, emojis and videos conveying accompanying messages – as vital as your grandmother’s health report, to as trivial as a bird on a giraffe’s back – with the same flat, rapid, flash of presentation.
Sliding over to your social feeds, you post a few images about your delicious meal, new shoes, or child’s messy face, and then stare jealously at your friends’ more delicious meal, hipper shoes and cuter child.
With heightened reluctance you switch off the screen to tend to your other life…the real one.
Your physical life is the one of private discussion, gentle cries, confusion, fear and misunderstanding.
And never more so has this mood stood out than now, when you face a world where you have to learn to operate in crisis and disruption.
Sadly you know no one who has ever faced this type of turmoil.
Neither does anyone you know.
The knowledge circle that used to come from experiences of extended family, teachers or community leaders is closed.
Your chance to extract information has disappeared, and perhaps your opportunity to be successful, and have the comfortable life you expect, has gone with them.
Where do you turn?
To the fastest rising information, education and communication platform in the world…podcasts.
The Surprise Behind the Mic
If you thought podcasts were only for big name stars, provocative politics or senseless comedy, you may have missed the extraordinary bucket of information burgeoning from the 99.99% of podcasts that create most of the content.
Across all categories from activists to educators to professionals, non-profits, entrepreneurs and health practionners, podcasters are having the conversations you used to hear in your living room.
The conversations once offered by mentors, community leaders, and instructors in limited circles, and behind closed doors, are now offered to everyone within earshot of a connected device.
If you are a professional seeking to hear detailed information about how to grow your career; or a college student wondering how life in the ‘real world’ really plays out; or a concerned citizen who is uncertain how best to contribute to building a better society; or an aspiring entrepreneur who wants to understand how to really get a business going…there is a podcast conversation waiting for you and your notepad.
But how do you find this treasure trove of knowledge and information in the massive sea of options presented on your smartphone?
You start here.
How to Find Your Relevant Podcasts
This post highlights what you should know about extracting valuable information from podcasts available right now for your listening pleasure.
But instead of passively absorbing the conversation, this post recommends you take the guidance you hear to the next level, and apply the knowledge to your career path, education or entrepreneurial decisions going forward.
The purpose of a podcast interview is to give the listener new insights to absorb and implement. The opportunity for you is to take the advice and run with it.
Present at the Beginning
Podcasting is a fairly new industry with no formal structures or established reference resources. Podcasts are hosted by dozens of platforms, and listed in dozens more directories.
But most directories limit search results to the most ‘relevant.’ This presents the top podcasts with unlimited search result real estate, and all the rest lost behind algorithms designed to ignore them.
A podcast capturing valuable specific interview content for a young professional, rising business owner or college student could be ranked from #101 to #1,000,000, and effectively be ‘undiscoverable.’
But if you are that person who wants that information, the question is: how can find the 99.99%?
And when you do…what should you do with the information?
The Value of Virtual Mentors
Most people do not have the information they need to be successful. The schools do not teach the personal development and self-help ideologies, that tens of millions of adults will go on to purchase in later life.
And the majority will fail to learn that some people are successful not because of demographics or wealth or education, but simply because they get great information they understand early enough to apply it to their life choices.
In a world built on democracy and free enterprise, there’s a belief that people operate on a leveling playing field – that the society by virtue of its success values will encourage anyone to be successful.
But in reality, success often comes to those who have the right information.
Rich Dad Poor Dad and The Information Privilege
In Robert Kiyosaki’s best selling book Rich Dad Poor Dad, he explained this reality. You get the right information by either having a ‘Rich Dad’ who will impart it to you, or by knowing you are missing out, and finding where you can learn what you need.
A ‘Rich Dad’ is any human who pro-actively teaches or demonstrates how to maximize your resources to grow for success; and ‘Poor Dad’ teaches nothing but following the status quo.
The most effective ‘Rich Dads’ provide not only the knowledge, but the life skills to understand how to apply what you have learned for the long-term. ‘Poor Dad’ is rarely economically poor, yet leads a life where decisions are driven by earning a salary to pay monthly bills, and scrimping and saving for retirement.
People who grow up with ‘Poor Dad’ often believe they are doing everything right, and to society, they are, until they hit financial concerns. ‘Poor Dad’ learners are the ones who are shocked by financial crises, rising mortgage rates, equity market swings, and the interest rates on their car loans, student loans and credit card debt.
Following ‘Poor Dad’s’ example means spending on the items you believe you should buy like a house and car, and being worried that you cannot afford those same items whenever there is a crisis.
Even the ‘Poor Dads’ who teach frugality, and end up with a couple million dollars in the bank at retirement, don’t seem to be having a good time. They have never learned how to spend money for enjoyment, and are constantly managing to the last penny in fear of ‘running out.’
For those who are interested in entrepreneurship and starting a business, ‘Poor Dads’ caution and insecurity is discouraging. Entrepreneurial ideas go untested because of fear, and the inability to break habits from the past.
But those same people, maybe even you, know about ‘Rich Dad,’ and maybe are watching, wondering and asking, how do you have a great life now?
Find a Virtual Mentor
If a potential ‘Rich Dad’ is not within your reach, you can find one as a virtual mentor who will give you the guidance and wisdom you need to ensure your life meets your expectations.
Since financial education is not taught in schools, you have to be exposed to ‘Rich Dad’ in some other form.
But if you don’t have a ‘Rich Dad,’ and you know you are missing out on the information you need, and you are ready, willing and able to implement good advice, you can discover these valuable mentors for yourself by absorbing and applying the lessons being taught…in podcasts.
You can make yourself information privileged by finding the podcasts that are having conversations with people who have the knowledge you need.
How to Find Your Podcast
Podcasts grow by word of mouth, which means the most successful podcasts are those that have been recommended. And the interview podcasts tend to be successful for the same reason. Interviewers speak to a finite rotating list of A-name stars who tell the same stories over and over again.
Even on podcasts that purport to offer a different perspective, or unique angle, the same story is being told by the same people.
To break away from these familiar conversations, and find podcasts you can use to advance your life, you have to become more creative in your podcast search.
If those in your circle are not interested in enhancing their lives, they will not be the ones to recommend the podcasts you should be listening to. You will have to find these shows on your own.
Search by Keyword
The podcast description is the main location where podcasters state the nature of their content. But a podcaster can state this information in a variety of different forms.
A keyword you are searching for may not appear in the podcast title or description, yet be valid for the type of content provided. You will have to assess each description as you see fit.
Some podcasters also have episode descriptions that state the episode features, and expert or specialist interview content. But this information varies by podcast.
When using keywords to search for podcasts:
- Search for your unique podcasts by using Google or another search engine for [your keyword] podcasts to see a list of possibilities.
- Read the descriptions to see if the information sounds valuable to you.
- Since your search topic may cover more than one area, try different categories and keywords around broad subjects. For example, entrepreneurs can look for: ‘entrepreneur,’ ‘entrepreneurship,’ ‘business,’ ‘success,’ ‘startup,’ ‘side hustle,’ ‘action,’ ‘boss,’ and all variations of ‘boss lady.’
- If you are aware of experts in your field such as professors, researchers, and organizers search [their name] podcast – the person’s name with the word ‘podcast’ written after it – to see if you can find their appearances on different shows. When you find the appearance of someone you admire, you may find others who have appeared on the same podcast, and discussed similar topics.
- You can stop when you have at least 100 podcasts to research. Avoid trying to find every possible category, every type of podcast may be lurking in. Once you begin by searching one or two categories the results will lead you on to more.
Social Media
Searching social media hashtags and keywords can also help discover previously unknown podcasts. However, social media generally takes more time, and does not often provide additional information about the show.
Social media may be more valuable AFTER you have listened to an interview, and want to learn more about your virtual mentor.
How to Listen to the Interview
When you discover a podcast with interviews with people whose advice you may wish to add to your ‘Rich Dad’ information library, listen to the conversation as if that person were providing the details directly to you.
If your hands are free, take notes on important points you may want to clarify or research later.
For example, if you want to be an entrepreneur, and listen to entrepreneur interviews on podcasts, you could be considering:
- How the entrepreneur got started
- Where their opportunities came from
- How they made money.
For example, on the Trailblazers Impact podcast, ‘Financial Diva’ Victoria Woods, the CEO of ChappelWoods Financial Services spoke about her rise.
An aspiring entrepreneur listening to this interview may realize:
- You have to keep your eyes open for opportunities to make money, like babysitting 6 kids at a time, instead of one
How can you enhance your existing work right now to earn more money?
- You maintain your opportunity by being responsible, organized and reliable
Do you need to improve in any of these areas?
- You should be productive with your free time, for example take an accounting class or other continuous learning. You may be surprised to discover a subject you love that is also a career opportunity
What subject could you be studying right now to add to your skills?
- Accept no limits – use your energy and effort
Are you feeling strong and capable, or do you need to improve your energy and motivation?
- Follow the trails of those who have done it before
Who are the successful people around you? Who should you be following online to better understand the road to success?
- Stay open for new opportunities
What have people told you lately or what have you seen that could lead to an opportunity for you?
- Find the right partner by making sure your goals and lifestyle are aligned
Are you aligned with your partner on your goals? If not, what can you do to fix the situation?
- Always ask why a customer decided to work with you, why were they motivated to call you. You can learn from what you’re doing right
If you have a business now, how often do you communicate with customers outside of transactions, and what do you say?
- Decide where you are and where you want to be, then fill in the blanks about how you want to get there
Write down your goals and your envisioned future. Document the blanks and what you need to do to fill them.
- Don’t take advice from broke people – physically, financially or spiritually
When somebody offers you advice, ask yourself if you would like to have that person’s life, if the answer is ‘no,’ you know what to do with the advice!
If you had this information imparted directly to you over coffee or dinner, what would you do with it?
Use the Knowledge to Build your Life Going Forward
Use the information you hear in podcast interviews to begin building a store of knowledge that can help you design your life to ensure you accomplish your goals, without waiting for circumstances to take you in another direction.
Unlike generations past when good advice was kept among families or scholars, the average person now has the information freely available, and ready for use.
If you are serious about having the life you really want, being proactive about your choices, and making your own success, use quality podcast interviews – beyond the top 100 – to get your share of the information privilege you are unlikely to receive anywhere else.
Let the podcast world provide you with an additional education, grounded in realities that you will not hear about from those around you.
This is an exciting time to be a participant in the new economy, now you can adapt the possibilities to your own ends.
Conclusion
Why should you be listening to podcasts?
For the information, knowledge, entertainment and news.
But why should you try and find the #101 to #1,000,000 ranked podcasts?
Because in the interviews and information of the 99.99% of podcasts lies a layer of wisdom that would otherwise be completely inaccessible to you.
The manor door has been left wide-open, you can slip in, and absorb the next level of higher living that comes not from money, but from information, heard, absorbed and used to repeat success, not let it fall away.
Take advantage of this moment while you can, by taking a step beyond the obvious, and making your podcast listening count for more.
More Information
The best part about researching 1,117 podcasts was being accepted as a guest on so many awesome shows! You can find links to all of those fabulous podcasts here.
The second best part was my new found insight into the podcast industry.
This research was so eye-opening that this post is one of five about what I learned about the podcast industry from researching 1,117 podcasts.
Here are the links to all of the posts in the Podcast Discoveries Series:
Introduction to the Podcast Discoveries Series
How to Become A Guest on a Podcast
How to be a Welcoming Podcast Interview Host: The Best and Worst Practices
How to be a Valued Podcast Interview Guest: The Best and Worst Practices
Maximize Your Podcast Listening: Use Interviews to learn from Virtual Mentors
Additional Resources
Research Checklist: Podcast Guests: If you would like a free checklist for how to research and find the right podcast for you. Click here to download.
Podcast Directories: If you would like to get your own copy of the podcast directory listing and instructions based on my research click here (coming soon)
Podcast Guest Interview Blueprint Package (the ultimate course for podcast guests): Podcast Guests: If you would like the comprehensive guide to finding and contacting podcasts that are right for you, including as bonuses the Interview Checklist and the Directories List. Click here for this special offer.
Podcast Discoveries Book: Readers: If you would like the entire story of this epic research journey to discover and contact podcasts for guest interviews. Click here to download at Amazon.com. NOTE: the book is also available at Apple Bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and other popular sites where ebooks are sold.
Research Report: To purchase, the entire research report click here (coming soon)
Podcast Discoveries on the Ready Entrepreneur Podcast: This information will be explained in upcoming episodes of The Ready Entrepreneur Podcast. Subscribe at Apple Podcasts to stay up to date.
Podcast Discoveries on YouTube: To watch videos explaining the Podcast Discoveries process for finding your new favorite podcasts, click here (coming soon)
Disclosure: Links to Amazon.com and related companies are affiliate links that earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.
How to be a Valued Podcast Interview Guest: The Best and Worst Practices
The Podcast Discoveries Series
by Case Lane
In just a few short years, podcasting has arisen as the one online activity everyone must do. Not only comedians, newscasters and historians, but also corporate executives, specialized professionals, and the kid next door.
Unlike blogging which required at a minimum the ability to write, podcasting is the audio medium, a stage that permits and embraces the same chatter, banter and jokes that take place between ordinary people on average days.
In fact, the gentle nature of conversation has become the hallmark of podcasting. The platform’s success lies in its intimate connection with the listener’s ears, and its soothing waves playing in the background of walks, workouts, and commutes everywhere.
For those who wish to use podcast appearances to bolster their careers, products, services, businesses and authority, the opportunity comes with a challenge.
With an estimated one million podcasts available for download all over the world…
How do you find a podcast where you can present yourself as someone who is valuable and useful to interview?
And once you do convince someone to talk to you…
How do you leverage your appearance to grow the community or audience you are hoping to reach?
Behind the Mic: The Inadvertent Research Project
From May until August 2020, I researched over one thousand podcasts in search of relevant shows that may be interested in having me on as a guest.
I was startled to learn that what we think we may know about the podcast industry may not be true.
What we think is competition may not exist. And what we think is opportunity, may be stunningly more real than we could ever have imagined.
In this blog series, I am going to let you know what I learned from my inadvertent deep research quest into what’s really going on in the podcast industry.
Building from my How to Become a Podcast Guest post, this post provides more detailed information for potential podcast guests. Including after obtaining the interview, what should do between the confirmation of your appearance, and the day your show goes live?
The Background
If you have not read the How to Become a Guest post in this series, start there for details about my journey to be interviewed on 50 podcasts as part of a virtual promotional tour for my new book Recast. What I did not know then is I would have to research more than 1,000 podcasts, to find the 50 who have now said ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’ so far.
On purpose, I only approached podcasters, I had never heard of before. The podcasters I have heard of are some of the biggest names in the business. I immediately put them on my dream list to be approached some day in the future.
Instead, I wanted to meet and work with the vast majority of podcasters, those with shows ranked from #101 to #1,000,000 on the listener charts, in all the categories that might be applicable to my message.
I researched 1,117 podcasts
About two-thirds were not relevant to my topic.
The remaining were sent a request for an interview.
Of those who were sent a request, 25% replied – that’s double the rate quoted in most how-to articles.
Of those who replied:
About half said ‘Yes,’ and those interviews have taken place or have been scheduled. Another third said ‘Maybe’ and the balance said ‘No.’
Based on my learnings from the above, here is how to be a Valued Podcast Interview Guest: The Best and Worst Practices.
- Follow-up Immediately on Communications
- Manage Requests for Payments, Reviews and other Contentious Issues on Your Terms
- Check Technical Requirements
- Read Pre-Interview Documents and E-mail Instructions
- Know Your Subject
- Be Clear About Uncomfortable Topics
- Get Names Right
- Speak to Their Audience
- Confirm Promotional Expectations
- Embrace the New Relationships
Follow-up Immediately on Communications
Once you have a host’s attention, and receive an offer to appear on a show, make sure you follow-up with a confirmation, and any questions, comments, interview date or other requests, as soon as possible.
If the response is a ‘maybe,’ follow-up with the criteria that could make it a yes – ie, I’ll reach out again in 6 months to see if your calendar has freed up.
If it’s an outright ‘no,’ send a thank you for replying.
If it’s no response, there’s no need to send a follow-up unless you desperately want to interview with that host. Many podcasters know exactly what they want and who they’re looking for, and have no time to respond to every request.
Manage Requests for Payments, Reviews or other contentious practices on Your Terms
Some podcasters are asking for payment, review requests (often 5-star), listens or subscribers before they commit to an interview, or even before they consider an interview.
In my research, payment requests ranged from a $15 ‘application fee,’ to over $500 ‘premium’ service. Some stated the fees were to help them defray costs, others said it was to limit the number of requests they received.
This was not common practice, less than 2% of all requests required potential guests to make a financial or review commitment.
But potential guests should be prepared for these requests, and create your own guidelines for how to handle them.
In all cases it is up to you, the potential guest, to decide if you wish to participate.
Presumably, each host has decided the request practices are valuable to their brand, reputation, or viability. They are free to manage their podcast as they see fit, and potential guests are free to accept or reject the request.
Given that there are tens of thousands of podcast interview opportunities for guests to choose from, a potential guest should not feel compelled to engage in any practice that they do not support, or that makes them feel uncomfortable.
The best part of the online entrepreneurship world is the diversity of action, opinion, behavior, and circumstance that allows participants to choose the types of niches, communities or tribes to which they wish to belong.
This wide-open field is loaded with opportunity. There is no point contemplating a practice you do not support. Once you feel any hesitation about whether or not to contribute, move on to the next podcast on your list.
You can always go back if you feel you have not received enough interview opportunities or audience exposure, or if you really want to engage with a specific podcaster.
Check Technical Requirements
While Zoom Video has become the default provider of face-to-face global communications, it is possible for hosts to be using a different app. You should be able to confirm the technical requirements at the time of interview confirmation.
If you think you will have an issue, communicate your concern to your host as soon as possible, or at least one week before the interview so that there are no delays on the interview day.
Read any Pre-Interview Documents and E-Mail instructions the Host Sends You
Some hosts prepare an overview of the episode, or notes about the topics they want to cover. Make sure you read this document, and ask any clarifying questions prior to the interview.
If you are concerned about the structures, topics or intentions of the interview, send an email to clear the air. Or suggest a brief preliminary conversation, prior to the interview, to cover any questions.
Know Your Subject
If you sent a pitch e-mail with suggested interview topics, make sure you are able to respond to any of those suggestions. The value in your recorded conversation is in the talking. You must have something to say.
If you are promoting a book, product or service, consider making a related offer to the listeners. But make sure you ask the host’s permission first. Do not try and promote a product in the middle of the interview. The product should be relevant to your topic of discussion, and valuable to the listeners.
Be Clear About Uncomfortable Topics
If you do not wish to discuss a particular subject make sure you tell your host. At a minimum, your public information on your social media and website is open for any type of follow-up question. Assume your host will ask you about anything you have already placed in the public domain.
If the interview veers towards a topic you are not prepared to speak about, you can either side-step the question or say you do not want to discuss it. Most shows are not live, or if they are, there is a separate podcast version that can be edited later. However, do not assume this will be done. If you have concerns, discuss the issue with your host first.
Get Names Right
If you are planning to say your host’s name, make sure you are pronouncing it correctly. Clarify name pronunciations in the pre-interview, or at the beginning of the interview before you start recording.
Sometimes in the excitement of preparing for a show, you may stumble over names so it’s best to double-check that you know the correct pronunciation of both the host and show name.
Speak to their Audience
If you read the How to Become a Podcast Guest Interview in this series, you will have done your homework around the host’s podcast category, description, episode description, and episode content.
You should have an idea about how they speak to the audience of the show. Podcasters with a vibrant community may refer to their listeners by a nickname, like John Lee Dumas’ Fire Nation. If you pick up on that reference, the host will likely note your attention to detail.
Confirm Promotional Expectations
A host should not have to ask you to promote the episode you are on, but surprisingly, podcast hosts are frustrated by the lack of promotion done by podcast guests.
For hosts, the minimum requirement is to advise the guest when the show is available, and include their preferred episode link for posts.
If the host does not provide a preferred link, select your own option, like Apple Podcasts, or your preferred platform.
When the show is available, promote to your social media and e-mail lists. The number and frequency of these posts is up to you. Research or ask for the host or show’s social media handles so you can tag them when you post on your feeds.
Some hosts will provide you with episode graphics. If they do not, you can create your own. You can create a template for free using Canva, and change the podcast image and the text with each guest appearance. Copy and paste the host’s podcast art image from a directory, and give the episode number and/or title in your post.
Once you have a template, creating the graphic takes less than 5 minutes, and provides a good alternative to only posting a link.
If the host provides you with a graphic make sure you use that one.
You can also create a page on your website with graphics linking to the shows you have appeared on.
Embrace the New Relationships
The best part of this virtual podcasting tour has been meeting so many great podcasters who are doing awesome shows about a subject I champion.
As you reach out to others in your category about their shows, and your ability to provide value for their audience, you may find yourself making new friends and colleagues who become part of your community for years to come.
The opportunity to speak on their show would be the beginning of your collaboration.
Conclusion
The value of a conversation on a subject specific broadcast is timeless.
Online entrepreneurship has changed the game for so many who thought they might never be able to have a business, and the open fields for communication and information-exchange have only made the opportunity more exciting.
If you have knowledge to share with an audience, participating in the field of podcast interviews is a valuable and important contribution.
When you have the opportunity to work with a host, do your part, help grow the industry, improve everyone’s processes, and change the world.
More Information
The best part about researching 1,117 podcasts was being accepted as a guest on so many awesome shows! You can find links to all of those fabulous podcasts here.
The second best part was my new found insight into the podcast industry.
This research was so eye-opening that this post is one of five about what I learned about the podcast industry from researching 1,117 podcasts.
Here are the links to all of the posts in the Podcast Discoveries Series:
Introduction to the Podcast Discoveries Series
How to Become A Guest on a Podcast
How to be a Welcoming Podcast Interview Host: The Best and Worst Practices
How to be a Valued Podcast Interview Guest: The Best and Worst Practices
Maximize Your Podcast Listening: Use Interviews to learn from Virtual Mentors
Additional Resources
Research Checklist: Podcast Guests: If you would like a free checklist for how to research and find the right podcast for you. Click here to download.
Podcast Directories: If you would like to get your own copy of the podcast directory listing and instructions based on my research click here (coming soon)
Podcast Guest Interview Blueprint Package (the ultimate course for podcast guests): Podcast Guests: If you would like the comprehensive guide to finding and contacting podcasts that are right for you, including as bonuses the Interview Checklist and the Directories List. Click here for this special offer.
Podcast Discoveries Book: Readers: If you would like the entire story of this epic research journey to discover and contact podcasts for guest interviews. Click here to download at Amazon.com. NOTE: the book is also available at Apple Bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and other popular sites where ebooks are sold.
Research Report: To purchase, the entire research report click here (coming soon)
Podcast Discoveries on the Ready Entrepreneur Podcast: This information will be explained in upcoming episodes of The Ready Entrepreneur Podcast. Subscribe at Apple Podcasts to stay up to date.
Podcast Discoveries on YouTube: To watch videos explaining the Podcast Discoveries process for finding your new favorite podcasts, click here (coming soon)
Disclosure: Links to Amazon.com and related companies are affiliate links that earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.
How to be a Welcoming Podcast Interview Host: The Best and Worst Practices
The Podcast Discoveries Series
by Case Lane
With the rise of podcasts as an open market of free-for-all conversations, entertainment, knowledge and jokes, podcast hosts are free to manage their shows as they see fit.
There are no rules, requirements or regulations.
But after researching 1,117 podcasts to find relevant and interesting podcasts that might have me on as an interview guest, I decided to distribute the information about what I discovered.
As a podcast host, guest and listener, I found the observations from my research to be compelling, and helpful to those in the industry.
So this post is being offered only as a list of potential ideas for podcast hosts who are not sure what they would like to do with interviewing, or who would like to attract more potential relevant guests.
Everyone else, stop reading before you start complaining that you do not want to implement any of these practices, okay!
This post also does not apply to those who are, or are using, paid public relations services who have connections inside podcast networks and other means for directly contacting shows.
This is for podcast D-I-Yers and their teams who are looking for insight into the process.
The Inadvertent Podcast Research Project
The latest statistics state there are probably now at least 1,000,000 podcasts. If you are interviewing guests to provide relevant information or entertainment, and to help differentiate yourself in the market…
How do you find the people you want to talk to?
During a months long quest to be interviewed on podcasts, I was startled to gather information, and learn more than I imagined about the podcast industry.
In this blog series, I am going to let you know what I learned from my inadvertent deep research dive into best practices for podcast industry hosts, and how you can implement them in your own podcast world.
When searching for relevant guests, some podcasters can actively pull people from their community, past lives, or even their neighborhood. But others may not have anyone around who fits their ideal description for a guest.
However, you may be able to easily attract these guests through the overlooked idea of simply making sure that potential guests can find you.
You can put out a welcome mat that says ‘yes, I want to interview interesting people,’ and make it clear through your podcast, website or social media that you want people to reach out and talk to you.
The Background
Months prior to the release of my new book Recast, I set a goal to be interviewed on 50 podcasts as part of a virtual promotional tour. What I did not know then, is I would have to research more than 1,000 podcasts to find the 50 who have now said ‘yes’ or ‘maybe’ so far.
On purpose, 100% of the podcasters I approached, I had never heard of before. The podcasters I have heard of are some of the biggest names in the business. I immediately put them on my dream list to be approached in the future. But for this tour, I wanted to find the relevant podcasters, who were speaking to the audience I wanted to reach.
For your reference, here are the results from which I draw the conclusions in this post:
I researched 1, 117 podcasts, meaning I looked at the podcast details, first to determine if it was relevant to my search, then to find contact information.
About two-thirds were not relevant to my topic as defined by me, but you may think differently when you understand my process.
The balance were sent an interview request (either an e-mail or communication through their own form)
Of those who were sent an interview request, 25% replied – that’s double the rate quoted in most how-to articles.
Of those who replied:
Nearly half said ‘Yes’ and those interviews have taken place or have been scheduled.
About one third said maybe, for mostly scheduling reasons
And the balance, less than one-quarter said an outright ‘No.’
For the 75% who never responded…that is absolutely expected and understandable.
Based on my learnings from the above, here is my take on best practices for podcast hosts, who want to put out a welcome mat for potential guests
- Provide a Way to Communicate
- Understand the Consequences of Asking for Payments, Reviews and other upfront requests
- Use Relevant Categories, Clear Descriptions and Specific Keywords
- Try to Un-conflict Conflicting Show Names
- No Need to Respond
- Confirm Technical Requirements
- Confirm Promotional Expectations
Provide a Way to Communicate
Potential podcast guests need a process for telling you they exist, and the most welcoming podcast hosts present this opening front and center on their website.
Podcast Guest Interview Request Form
Podcasters use a specific guest interview request form to gather upfront information about potential guests. These forms can be long or short, have general questions or specific, and be a great source for potential ideas.
However podcast hosts must understand that the presentation of the form is also a reflection on them. And potential guests will make a decision about the host based on the form content. This may be exactly what you want.
Create the form as you see fit for your show, content and audience. But keep in mind the potential concerns from possible guests.
Online business is all about niches, and reaching your specific community. However, if you find that few guests are completing your form, you may want to look at your requested content.
Among the concerns:
Lack of space: An answer box without a stated character limitation becomes a source of frustration when a potential guest wants to explain their pitch, but finds no room for entering the information. A good option for this is a ‘do you have anything to add’ type of box.
Phone numbers: Asking a potential guest for a phone number before you have agreed to the interview could be considered scammy, and an attempt to load up your email list with personal information.
Irrelevant questions: Questions that are unrelated to the podcast may appear to be a waste of time. The potential host is unlikely to be the only person the potential guest is approaching. Quirky, extraneous questions just take up more time to complete. However, if this is the personality you want guests to also reflect on your show, the questions can be legitimate.
A standard Website Contact Form that specifically mentions podcast guests
This is a great alternative to the specific podcast guest form. Specifically stating that potential podcast guests should complete the standard website contact form indicates the host is open to attracting guests, and is likely to read the submitted information. In most cases, this also provides sufficient space for the guest to submit their pitch.
A website e-mail address
An ‘open’ e-mail address that is not specifically limited to clients or the media can be used by the potential guest. The assumption is the email whether it says info@ or support@ or hello@, will still go to the host or podcast team.
Email in podcast description
Providing your email exactly where people are researching the podcast is extremely helpful, but rarely used. No doubt podcasters are concerned about spam. But if you do not have a website, or are using a free hosting service, you may want to include an email where it can be easily found.
Website Generic contact form
If you do not want to display your e-mail, but have a generic contact form, guests can fill that out. However, since people are leery of those contact requests going into a no-reply black hole, a note about your expected response time or other welcoming comments would make usage more likely.
Social Media
Although podcasters will likely want to drive potential guests to their social sites, you should be aware that this would be the most time consuming, and potentially, least used approach by podcasters approaching multiple hosts.
With the exception of those who spend most of their time on social media, the time and effort required to go back and forth in trying to make a cold pitch may discourage some people.
But again, this may be your intention. If you only want to work with people who engage with you on social, you can leave social media sites as your only public communication process.
Understand the Consequences of Asking for Payments, Review Requests and other contentious practices
In my research, a small number of podcasters asked for payment, review requests (often 5-star), listens or subscribers before they would commit to an interview. Sometimes before they would even consider an interview.
A host must decide if these practices are valuable to the podcast’s brand, reputation, and viability. For example, how valid are commanded reviews? For some people, it’s the number of reviews that hold meaning, not the method in which they are obtained. For others, organic reviews are more valuable and encouraged.
Given that there are tens of thousands of potential podcasts for guests to choose from, hosts can expect that some percentage of potential guests will not be willing to accept any type of ‘extra’ command in exchange for an interview. In other cases, they will almost certainly say ‘yes.’
No doubt the ‘big names,’ are not asked, nor respond to additional requests, however that does not mean they are not aware of who participates in these practices and who does not. Some podcasters are striving to build a recognized, formal podcaster community that delivers value to listeners, and sets an example for model online entrepreneurship behavior.
So do what you believe is right for your show, and expect both understanding, and negative feedback from your decision.
Use Relevant Categories, Clear Descriptions and Specific Keywords
Potential guests are going to search for relevant podcasts by categories and keywords. Make sure your title, description and category convey the message you want to communicate.
If possible, select more than one category since your topic may cover more than one area.
For podcasts that cross multiple categories, use the description to specifically describe your content. If you want to encourage guests, state in your description that you will be interviewing guests of X,Y,Z background or interest.
The descriptions for each episode are also important. If you want potential guests to understand the types of people you interview, include background, knowledge, interests and other relevant facts in the episode description.
In the Apple Podcasts show page, the first three lines of the episode description are visible. A potential guest can scan through the information, and determine if they would be a good fit.
You can always look at the descriptions of other podcasts to develop ideas about what you would like to do.
If you really want to attract only a certain kind of guest, for example one who may speak on topics like spirituality, mental health, politics, religion, and so on, put that message in your description.
Neither side is served by misunderstandings or conflicts over the meaning of certain words.
Un-conflict Conflicting Podcast Names
For our purposes, to un-conflict is to take the conflict away. Do a search for your podcast name, and see if you own the first page of the Google search results.
If you don’t own the first page, get your podcast listed in all available directories. In my research, a podcast listed in multiple directories, beyond the most obvious, typically owned the first page of the search results because Google returned the locations where the podcast appears.
If you don’t own the first page, check on the status of the conflicting name podcasts, especially the ones that come out above you. Even if a podcast is dead, losing search results domination means that if someone is looking for you, they might not find you, or they might go to another podcast with a similar name, see that it’s dead, and assume that you are no longer recording.
Conversely, in the research, a podcast that had only one listing for its name was usually either in a name conflict with one or many other podcasts, or was dead.
No Need to Respond to Pitches
The majority of cold interview requests never receive a response, and that is expected.
If you are interested in the guest, but have a full calendar, a legitimate ‘maybe next year’ is relevant.
Sending an outright ‘no’ typically depends on the circumstances. If you want to give the potential guest a reason, such as your podcast is coming to an end, then you eliminate the possibility of follow-up requests.
Robo-replies with specific information like you are no longer accepting guests are also helpful.
Confirm Technical Requirements
In the short span of a few months, Zoom video has gone from a ‘new’ app some people use, to the default provider of face-to-face global communications.
Zoom was by far the dominant choice for podcast interviewers.
When you schedule an interview with your potential guest, confirm the technical requirements especially if you have special requests or want to use a less popular communications app.
Existing podcasters may already be set-up for a quiet discussion, but new interviewees could have limited experience.
You can put the technical requirements in your confirmation email or calendar event.
Confirm Promotional Expectations
Unsurprisingly, podcast hosts are frustrated if podcast guests do not promote the show. For hosts, the minimum requirement is to advise the guest when the show is available, and the link you prefer for posts.
If you do not provide your preferred link, the guest will have to select their own preferred option, like the Apple Podcasts link, or not link to the show at all.
When the show is available, promotion usually extends only to social media and the guest’s e-mail lists. You will see the social posts, but not the e-mail list unless you sign-up for the guest’s community.
Good practice is to also provide your social media handles so the guest can tag you on social, and you’ll know when the episode is promoted.
An even more effective promotion is to provide graphics for the episode that the guest can use to promote on their own. But this is not necessary unless you are creating graphics for your own promotion, then you can share those with the guest.
NOTE: Podcast guests: there are some tips for creating your own consistent graphics for posts in the next article in this series: How to Be a Valuable Podcast Guest.
Conclusion
If you are a podcast host who wants to have guests on your podcast, and you welcome cold requests from potential guests in the world, these practices can help attract more of the people you are looking for.
You can also reverse engineer the requests to ensure you narrow your guest list to those who best meet the vision for your podcast and your intentions.
The general best practice is communication and mutual understanding. If someone sends you a pitch that provides value for your audience, then together you can arrange a productive interview that you both use to grow your show.
More Information
The best part about researching 1,117 podcasts was being accepted as a guest on so many awesome shows! You can find links to all of those fabulous podcasts here.
The second best part was my new found insight into the podcast industry.
This research was so eye-opening that this post is one of five about what I learned about the podcast industry from researching 1,117 podcasts.
Here are the links to all of the posts in the Podcast Discoveries Series:
Introduction to the Podcast Discoveries Series
How to Become A Guest on a Podcast
How to be a Welcoming Podcast Interview Host: The Best and Worst Practices
How to be a Valued Podcast Interview Guest: The Best and Worst Practices
Maximize Your Podcast Listening: Use Interviews to learn from Virtual Mentors
Additional Resources
Research Checklist: Podcast Guests: If you would like a free checklist for how to research and find the right podcast for you. Click here to download.
Podcast Directories: If you would like to get your own copy of the podcast directory listing and instructions based on my research click here (coming soon)
Podcast Guest Interview Blueprint Package (the ultimate course for podcast guests): Podcast Guests: If you would like the comprehensive guide to finding and contacting podcasts that are right for you, including as bonuses the Interview Checklist and the Directories List. Click here for this special offer.
Podcast Discoveries Book: Readers: If you would like the entire story of this epic research journey to discover and contact podcasts for guest interviews. Click here to download at Amazon.com. NOTE: the book is also available at Apple Bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and other popular sites where ebooks are sold.
Research Report: To purchase, the entire research report click here (coming soon)
Podcast Discoveries on the Ready Entrepreneur Podcast: This information will be explained in upcoming episodes of The Ready Entrepreneur Podcast. Subscribe at Apple Podcasts to stay up to date.
Podcast Discoveries on YouTube: To watch videos explaining the Podcast Discoveries process for finding your new favorite podcasts, click here (coming soon)
Disclosure: Links to Amazon.com and related companies are affiliate links that earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.
Podcast Discoveries: What I Learned About Podcasting from Researching 1,117 Podcasts in Search of an Interview
The Podcast Discoveries Series
by Case Lane
Podcasts are the next big thing that’s already here.
Many individuals have one, so do companies, organizations, and your next door neighbor. Everyone is interested in what this rising medium means for their work, industry, knowledge, and entertainment, and everyone wants to know where it’s all going.
The numbers are impressive. One million podcasts…and growing!
But what does that really mean?
If you read my previous posts in this inadvertent podcast research series on How to Get a Guest Interview on a podcast, you may have noted some of the ‘behind the scenes’ issues that come up in this young and rapidly-growing industry.
To be clear, there are two types of podcasters. The big names backed by big money (and big publicity)…and everyone else.
This article is for everyone else…
The #101 to #1,000,000 ranked podcasters who are trying to determine how best be discovered in this new media world.
In an industry with zero barriers to entry, zero rules, zero formal structures or established reference sources, hundreds of providers, limitless locations, and money to be made, what exactly is going on with podcasting?
After setting out to find podcasts that may have me on as a guest while promoting my latest book release, I was surprised to be swept up into a much more intensive investigatory process around the entire podcast industry.
To my surprise, podcasting may not be the floating in its own competition filled airwaves, but it’s not a bastion of narcissistic hear-me activity either. There are issues in structure, reference, research and consistency, but that’s also what makes the medium an opportunity for so many…
…Until you try and exercise the niche franchise podcasting is said to have created.
Then you are back in high school, where the popular earn all the spoils, and the undiscovered scrape at the door in search of entry.
The irony is the undiscovered operate in niches that would absolutely welcome them…if only they could find them.
The current challenges for both potential podcast guests and listeners who are searching for specific categories of podcasts are:
The Directories
The Land of the Living Dead
The Definitions of Descriptions, Categories and Keywords
Hidden Contact Information
Overlapping Show Names
Inefficient Search Options
The Directories
To find a podcast, you search a podcast directory, in an app or online…or not…
Listeners find podcasts through word of mouth. I personally had never heard of Joe Rogan until Elon Musk smoking pot on his show became international news. That is both the joy and frustration of podcasts.
Podcast creators can thrive in their own communities – of millions of listeners – outside pop culture, the mainstream, regulators, an established industry or any barriers to entry, or limitations to growth.
But podcast listeners must wade through this labyrinth in search of news, knowledge, entertainment or information for their ears that is often more intimate, compelling and informative than any other medium.
The existing podcast directories have none of the product suggestion sophistication of Amazon, or algorithmic memory of Google. They have broad sweeping categories, selected by the producers, and sorted by relevancy based on popularity.
And most directories limit search results to only the top podcasts. Even a podcast searched by an exact name may not come out ahead of more popular offerings that use the same word (as the name) in a description or episode title.
The definition of ‘popular’ lies with the directories who are responding to ‘mass’ audience appeal, for a medium that thrives on niche content. This presents the top podcasts with unlimited search results real estate, and all the rest lost behind their wind.
My Inadvertent Podcast Research Project
When I set out to promote my new book Recast, through a global virtual podcasting tour, I had no idea I would end up spending months researching hundreds of podcasts.
Much to my surprise, I also discovered much more about the podcast industry than I expected…and I’m a podcaster! I have attended two podcast conferences in the past year, listened to many of the top gurus, and talked to dozens of podcasters, and never had I heard what I actually discovered on my quest to obtain a guest interview.
For the new podcaster hoping for an opportunity, rest assured the industry is still wide open and available to anyone with a good idea.
But there are also challenges.
In this unexpected podcast research blog series, I am going to let you know what I learned from my inadvertent deep research quest into what’s really going on in the podcast industry.
But first, I’ll explain my results…
The Method
You can see the details of how my research evolved in the first post How to Become a Guest on a Podcast. But here are the highlights to understand the context for the rest of this post.
I researched 1, 117 podcasts, meaning after I found the podcast name, I went in to Google and podcast directories to learn if the podcast was relevant to my topic.
70 % of the podcasts I researched were not relevant to my topic, based on criteria I established.
The rest were sent an interview request (either an e-mail or communication through their own website form)
Of those who were sent an interview request, 25 % replied – that’s double the rate quoted in most how-to articles.
Of those who replied:
Almost half said ‘yes’ and those interviews have taken place or have been scheduled. Another one-third said ‘maybe’ usually due to scheduling issues. The rest were a ‘no.’
On purpose, 100% of the podcasters I approached, I had never heard of before. The podcasters I have heard of are some of the biggest names in the business, the top 100. I immediately put them on my dream list to be approached some day in the future.
I wanted to find all the shows in the 99.99% that are speaking to the audience I wanted to reach.
And here’s what I discovered…
Many Podcasts are in the Land of the Living Dead
Somewhere in the oft-stated existence of 1,000,000 podcasts is my new question: How many of them are active?
The biggest shock in my research was the discovery of hundreds of dead podcasts that continue to occupy the world’s most important search results real estate – the first page of a Google search.
They also continue to feature in directories, coming up for categories and keywords before other shows that are still recording.
In my research, one-third of the podcasts I looked for had not had an episode in the past six months.
This is not actually a problem for podcasting. The episodes can live forever as long as someone pays the hosting fees. Great interviews, stories and dramatizations can be referred by others for years to come.
Dead podcasts are also not an issue for podcasters. There are no rules. Shows are not canceled (unless you belong in a network that does in fact cancel you). Anyone can start and end the podcast at will. A podcaster can take a year long break, and then just start talking again. There is no allotted timeslot to fill as in radio or television. Podcasters may even put all their episodes in an archive on their website.
But dead podcasts are definitely a problem for anyone hoping to guest on a show. Dead podcasts do not do interviews. My number one piece of advice when researching podcasts for interview is to check the last episode post date – before reading the description.
The possibility of a movement towards platform exclusivity will eventually end the relevancy of this rule. A podcast currently appearing in all directories will look ‘dead’ unless you know for sure that it is exclusive to one platform. However for now, this issue only applies to the biggest names, and checking first for the podcast’s active existence is the first rule of relevancy.
In all cases – regardless of the reason the show has no recent episodes – their online presence remains in place. The last post date of a podcast does not apply to relevancy for the show. You search for podcasts by name. And the name will continue to come up, until it is forced out of results by another. This effectively puts the show in the search results, and forces the researcher to look further.
If a podcast has a similar name to another, you may get both results, and have to research each possibility to find the one that could still be a good fit.
Even more frustrating for new podcasters is when Google appears to be serving up aggregated results on the first page of search – but some of the podcasts are dead.
For example if you search, Side Hustle podcast , you get this result on the first page. Looks like a great list until…
… you research each podcast and you find out that almost half are already dead!
This is an observation about how Google search works, not a commentary on the podcasts or podcasters. The podcasts marked with an X either could not be found by that name, or had a last episode date more than six months ago.
The actual recording status of the podcast is not known to this author. The only point is that these podcasts do not appear available as potential interview opportunities even though they come up on the first page of Google search results – in a curated list!
Similar results were often discovered for other ‘curated’ search result lists when multiple podcasts have a similar name. If you have a podcast with that name…and you don’t make this prominently placed list…my guess is you are cringing.
Would a deeper filtered search have generated more relevant results? Not likely. Everyone wants to see everything that is possibly available on page one, especially when you know after a few hundred searches that the process is going to take awhile.
The reality is, if you are looking for podcasts by name, and only want active shows to appear in search results, you are probably out of luck.
The Definition of Description
Podcasting is audio, all about talking – comments, observations, interviews, jokes, discussions, anecdotes – as presented by hosts.
To understand the content of a show, you can look at the title, description and episodes.
Podcasters write their own show descriptions. Some are detailed and specific, others are vague and limited. When researching the podcast, the description becomes paramount to determining if the podcast is the right fit. But it is no guarantee that you’ll find what you are looking for.
You can also look at descriptions for the actual recorded episodes, but those are as likely to be inconsistent. Some podcasters do not include descriptions for the episodes, or they write short or repetitive lines.
If a researcher is absolutely committed to finding out more, the next option is to listen to two or three random episodes with different subject titles to try and decide if the content can be confirmed.
Even if directories use descriptions to scrape for keywords, the podcaster’s intention may still not be recognized, and the podcast would be undiscovered.
Categories, Keywords and Vague Ideas Dominate Search
Podcasters typically select their categories from an existing list. Podcasters put their show wherever they see fit. Searchers have to determine if the selection matches their own definition of the same keyword.
For example: searching: ‘entrepreneur,’ ‘entrepreneurship,’ ‘business,’ and ‘success,’ led to ‘startup,’ ‘side hustle,’ ‘action,’ ‘boss,’ and all variations of ‘boss lady.’ But the descriptions behind these terms varied widely.
The descriptions can also stray into territory you may not want to cover like politics, religion, life stories, mental health and struggle issues, specific industries or careers, or spirituality. Even listening to a few episodes does not always make it clear why the words are included in the description.
A researcher has no idea how to apply correct criteria for accepting or ignoring a podcast. At that point, the best option is to make a guess.
In the Welcoming Host post in this blog series, I suggest podcasters hoping to attract guests state in the description that the podcast will include guest interviews.
Deciding on the podcast relevancy becomes a gamble for the guest who is trying to target specific types of podcasts. This is a dilemma that is unlikely to end anytime soon, as the individuality of podcasting is what makes the platform so unique.
Potential Guests are on Their Own
In a world of bubbles, niches, and tribes, potential podcast guests are the proverbial outsiders tapping at the door with goods to offer, and asking to be allowed in.
Even though many podcasters claim to want to have guests, they are either finding them within their own community, or unaware that their welcome mat has become decidedly frayed.
The companion post in this series How to Become a Guest on a Podcast provides a detailed account of how to get a podcast interview.
Given the difficulty in finding relevant podcasts, a potential podcast guest has the added struggle of determining if a podcaster is even interested in what they have to say.
Putting aside public relations companies that offer podcast guest spot services, the availability of a podcaster’s contact information was the strongest indicator as to whether or not a podcaster was open to the attention of cold guest pitches.
Since there are apparently 1,000,000 podcasts, the expectation was that there would be more ‘open’ shows than not. But the quest to find contact information indicated the opposite was true.
However, note this research does not take in to consideration podcasters who encouraged people to reach out on social media. For the most part, these requests seem to be aimed at their potential community, not podcast guests. However podcast guests may find social a more relevant place for communication than e-mail.
From best to worst option, contact information was discovered in:
1. Email in the Podcast description
Rarely, but cleverly, some podcasters put their contact email in their description. This was just joyous when this happened, ending the need to search elsewhere unless the podcaster specifically stated the e-mail was for questions and/or they had a separate direction for potential show guests.
2. Podcast Guest form on Website
This type of form, specifically aimed at prospective podcast guests, is the best indicator of a podcaster’s commitment to attracting guests.
These forms are specific to each show’s interests and include questions as generic as: why do you want to be a guest on our show; to as esoteric as: what’s your favorite ice-cream?
Potential guests must decide how to answer these questions, and whether or not it’s even worth it to take the time. But whether or not these forms attract or repel potential guests is an open question.
3. Standard Website Contact Form that specifically mentions podcast guests
The next best indication that the podcaster cares about having guests is to invite potential guests to apply through their standard ‘Contact Me’ form on their website. The greeting provides potential guests with the hope that the pitch will be read, and the host is expecting to hear from people.
4. A website e-mail address
Not every website provides an e-mail. But when they do that direct form of contact is a good alternative to having a specific form. Any form of: info@ or support@ or hello@ generic opening indicates that somewhere on the other end a host or their team will read the request.
5. Directory e-mail address
As of this writing, two directories – Listen Notes and TuneIn – provide a visible link or view of the show’s e-mail address. The emails are not 100% available, but this service was indispensable.
6. RSS feed
As of this writing, Listen Notes was the only directory I found that provided access to the RSS feed, not the URL, the actual code. If you look closely enough, you will find an email.
This information for how to use the RSS feed to obtain an email is actually in Listen Notes’ own instructions (that’s how I found out about it), so it’s available to see.
Podcasters probably used a ‘public’ email to set-up their podcast on hosting, and should not be surprised to receive an email at that address.
For the record, so far no one asked how I got their e-mail address.
7. Website Generic contact form
Many people, although not all, do have generic website contact forms. Although there is often some trepidation about whether or not your email will be read, the generic form is a good option, if there is no other choice.
8. None of the above
For podcasts with no website, no listing in Listen Notes or TuneIn, no word in their description, no accessible RSS feed, and no social media, the opportunity to reach out is lost. If these podcasters expect to receive guests, they need to create a welcome mat.
Anchor podcasts
For podcasts on Anchor, and potentially other free hosting services, the RSS feed provided a cryptic e-mail address that looked something like this: podcastsnn+nnnnnnnn@anchor.fm. The ‘n’ equals a number. The destination of these emails is unknown, and none of the few tried received a reply.
The Specificity and Confusion in Show Names are a Challenge
No two podcasts appeared to have the exact same name…but search results can return dozens of overlapping possibilities. There were many examples of this, but since I do not want to call out any one podcast name, in the example below imagine the [Podcast Name] is the same word.
The most common adaptations go like this:
[Podcast Name] [Podcast Name] with Podcast Host NameSomething! [Podcast Name] [Podcast Name] Show
[Podcast Name] Radio ShowThis [Podcast Name]
That [Podcast Name]
My [Podcast Name]
The [Podcast Name]
Your [Podcast Name]
Since my method for finding podcasts was to discover a long list of names in a directory, and then search them all one-by-one afterwards, each time a [Podcast Name] was used I could go off on a tangent for an hour looking at all the variations of that one [Podcast Name].
This is bad news for any host who had the [Podcast Name] I was actually looking for. I rarely went to page two of Google search so having an overlapping name means you are being denied discovery on page one. This did not necessarily mean the podcast was dead, but it extended the time needed to try and find the exact podcast.
And if the exact podcast name could not be found, the search was dropped.
Search Options are Limited in Efficiency, not Numbers
One could expect that the best place to find podcasts would be inside a podcast directory. But the number one challenge with directories is that it appears that none offer a full listing of all 1,000,000 podcasts – dead or alive. Even if you wanted to find every ‘entrepreneur’ podcast in the world, you could not.
This is a shame because listeners are looking to niche down to their type of information or conversation, and are constantly hoping to find podcasts that appeal directly to them.
For example, I want to know who is talking about life between personal development and success. You know when you’ve done all your Tony Robbins exercises, but have not yet achieved your Tony Robbins life. (If you know a podcast covering that gap, email me).
There are so many potential discussions in every category. Yet the ability to niche down your search through search does not appear to exist. With loose description writing, no opportunity to declare sub-categories, and the lack of robustness with search engines, the capping of results means you are only seeing a fraction of the listings.
Even knowing exactly which show you are searching for does not give exact results. Searching Apple podcasts by a specific name (on iTunes desktop), does not put that podcast at the top of the list. My podcast, Ready Entrepreneur had to yield the first nine slots to others who happened to use the word ‘ready’ in their description.
This left Google Search as the place to start when looking for a particular ‘category’ podcast. But even that had its limitations. As noted above, Google does not know when a podcast is dead.
Google Images was also a good option as results displayed rows and rows of podcast art for the category. But Images does not know when the art referred to a show, an episode, or even a course with the word podcast in the title.
In Search of a Searching Directory
Certain directories provide access to longer lists of search results. Listen Notes and TunedIn both go a few hundred deep, before capping results.
Directory suggestions when looking for another podcast such as “iTunes Listeners also subscribed to” and ” Listen Notes recommendations” were also helpful. But those suggestions have no descriptions, and still require further search.
Social media has millions of podcast-related posts. Searching by hashtag produced a wide variety of results that rarely led to actual shows. Like all social media, the option to spend the time to thoroughly search is available, but hardly efficient.
Host websites sometimes listed the host’s appearances on other shows, which provided a trail to similar shows or themes.
Podcast Networks group shows together, but there was surprisingly only a few of these that provided relevant options. The reason is likely that the top shows are in the top networks, and therefore not accessible to the 99.99%.
Conclusion
The podcast industry is not formal, structured or regulated, and that’s what makes it fabulous.
For a rising podcaster, researcher or listener, the challenge is to understand the vagaries and adjust accordingly. Given the information in this post, you can make your podcast accessible. You can also learn from others and model best practices.
Established podcasters who want to champion efficiencies in the industry can also stay on top of these challenges, and set an example with descriptions, art and categories that provide listeners with the best information for finding the show they want.
For all podcasters, the common effort will be in ensuring the viability of the industry by highlighting best practices, and eliminating negative ones, to create the best overall experience for all.
More Information
The best part about researching 1,117 podcasts was being accepted as a guest on so many awesome shows! You can find links to all of those fabulous podcasts here.
The second best part was my new found insight into the podcast industry.
This research was so eye-opening that this post is one of five about what I learned about the podcast industry from researching 1,117 podcasts.
Here are the links to all of the posts in the Podcast Discoveries Series:
Introduction to the Podcast Discoveries Series
How to Become A Guest on a Podcast
How to be a Welcoming Podcast Interview Host: The Best and Worst Practices
How to be a Valued Podcast Interview Guest: The Best and Worst Practices
Maximize Your Podcast Listening: Use Interviews to learn from Virtual Mentors
Additional Resources
Research Checklist: Podcast Guests: If you would like a free checklist for how to research and find the right podcast for you. Click here to download.
Podcast Directories: If you would like to get your own copy of the podcast directory listing and instructions based on my research click here (coming soon)
Podcast Guest Interview Blueprint Package (the ultimate course for podcast guests): Podcast Guests: If you would like the comprehensive guide to finding and contacting podcasts that are right for you, including as bonuses the Interview Checklist and the Directories List. Click here for this special offer.
Podcast Discoveries Book: Readers: If you would like the entire story of this epic research journey to discover and contact podcasts for guest interviews. Click here to download at Amazon.com. NOTE: the book is also available at Apple Bookstore, Barnes & Noble, Kobo and other popular sites where ebooks are sold.
Research Report: To purchase, the entire research report click here (coming soon)
Podcast Discoveries on the Ready Entrepreneur Podcast: This information will be explained in upcoming episodes of The Ready Entrepreneur Podcast. Subscribe at Apple Podcasts to stay up to date.
Podcast Discoveries on YouTube: To watch videos explaining the Podcast Discoveries process for finding your new favorite podcasts, click here (coming soon)
Disclosure: Links to Amazon.com and related companies are affiliate links that earn for eligible purchases at no additional cost to you.
